Colorobbia celebrates its centenary and reaffirms its close links with the local area

The celebrations were held on 15 and 16 July at the Medici villa La Ferdinanda and in the Bitossi Industrial Archive in Montelupo Fiorentino

Gruppo Colorobbia, founded in 1921 as Manifattura Maioliche Artistiche Guido Bitossi and now a world leader in the production of raw materials and semi-finished products for the ceramic industry, celebrated its centenary on 15 and 16 July this year.

The first event was held in the splendid setting of the Medici Villa La Ferdinanda (Artimino, Prato), built by Grand Duke Ferdinando de’ Medici in 1596, where the Bitossi family hosted the Executive Board of Confindustria Ceramica and organised a meeting with industry leaders moderated by Fabio Tamburini, editor-in-chief of Il Sole 24 Ore.

This was followed by a visit to the Bitossi Industrial Archive in the historical headquarters of Bitossi Ceramiche in Montelupo Fiorentino. Recently turned into a museum and ready to open to the public in September, the Archive is a project that testifies to the close links that the Bitossi family still maintains with its region of origin. Promoted by the Vittoriano Bitossi Foundation for Ceramic Art and the Chemical Industry, it houses a section of the plaster cast collection, drawings and more than 7,000 exhibits that recount a century and a half of artistic ceramics, from the early output of Tito Bitossi’s brickworks in the second half of the 19th century to the contemporary production of Bitossi Ceramiche.