description

Just 18 km from Alicante, the provincial capital, lies Agost, a village in the region of l'Alacantí, where many of its customs and traditions are still alive and well. We also find new initiatives that enrich the cultural life of its citizens.

Several family dynasties devoted themselves to working with the famous local white clay to make, among other pieces, their popular earthenware jugs. around the 1980s, when the museum was created, the town had almost thirty pottery workshops. Today, however, there are only a small number of workshops that can be visited. Together with the museum, these are the ones that maintain the value and continuity of this ancestral craft and pottery culture, which for more than a century was the main economic activity in Agost.

Ceramics have many uses, both in the food and decorative sectors, which is why Agost, as the epicenter of artisanal pottery production in the province of Alicante, is launching this experience to demonstrate the various uses of ceramics and their sustainability. Through this experience, we will learn about the traditional craft of pottery and how these pieces were made using raw materials from the surrounding area.

This is a guided tour of the historic center, taking in the most emblematic streets of Agost, where the first pottery workshops were established, including a visit to the Pottery Museum. The historic center consists of narrow, picturesque streets that run in a circle at the foot of the castle hill. The wider streets, opened in the mid-20th century, make up the rest of the town center and are home to most of the local businesses.

fotos

itinerary

We will start the route in Las Peonas Square, whose name comes from the terracotta sculpture—created by ceramists Roque Martínez and Carmen de la Fuente based on the work of Arcadi Blasco—in homage to the women (las peonas) who contributed to the development of local pottery. where the museum is located, we will visit the Pottery Museum with the guide, which aims to study, preserve, and promote local cultural heritage, especially that linked to pottery and pre-industrial society. The Pottery Museum is located in an old ceramics factory that closed its doors in 1975. It was founded thanks to the work and effort of Ilse Schütz and is the ideal place to learn everything there is to know about the art of making fired clay objects.

The Pottery Museum is located in an old ceramics factory that closed its doors in 1975. It was founded thanks to the work and effort of Ilse Schütz, and is the ideal place to learn everything there is to know about the art of making fired clay objects.

Throughout its rooms, we can discover its extensive collection of pieces and visit important places in the pottery-making process, such as the “Arab kiln,” the potter's wheel area, and the clay settling ponds.

After this visit, we will take a guided tour of Agost along the Pottery Route, which will allow us to walk through its streets, passing by places where this art has left its mark. A curious feature of this route are the beautiful street signs, made of fired clay in beautiful shades. On this route, we will see the Plaza Fountain, built in 1786 and a meeting place for the town's residents, where some of Agost's most important festivals are celebrated, such as Les Danses del Rei Moro (the Moorish King's Dances) and the Arranc de festa de Moros y Cristianos (the start of the Moors and Christians festival). Along the route, we will pass, among other places, the Font de l'Abeurador (the oldest fountain in Agost, whose most important role was to supply the wash house and the first potteries in the municipality) and Ventós Street, where we will discover the marks left on the walls by the firewood transported in carts on their way to the pottery kilns, and even the marks made by workers at the entrance to their factories to count the number of pieces loaded onto the carts.

Next, we will enjoy a traditional lunch featuring Coca a la pala, accompanied by different products to suit everyone's tastes (tomato, aioli, ham, cheese, salad, etc.). Water, soft drinks, and coffee will be included. Depending on the season, it may include Uva de Agost D.O. bagged table grapes from Vinalopó.

Finally, we will visit the workshop of a master potter, a traditional ceramics craftsman, who will teach us how to make one of these pieces in a workshop on clay and pottery wheel techniques. Optionally, the workshop can be held at the Pottery Museum.

features

departure time

10:00:00

duration

4 hours

dinner*

accessibility

si

cata

pets

si

own car*

si

difficulty

fàcil

Languages

Valencian/Spanish/French/English

Tours run from Tuesday to Sunday, subject to advance booking/demand to confirm availability.
Closed in August and January.
Closed on all public holidays

more information

Agost
601 501 699
agost@essencies.net