Bring home a rare and meaningful piece of Italian design and culinary history with this vintage Autogrill Buon Ricordo plate, created by acclaimed Sicilian ceramicist Giovanni DeSimone in the 1970s and 1980s. Produced in collaboration with Autogrill, Italy’s iconic highway rest stop chain, these hand-painted ceramic plates were part of a unique cultural initiative that celebrated regional cuisine, art, and travel.

Known as “Piatti del Buon Ricordo” (Plates of Good Memory), each plate was offered to travelers who ordered a special regional dish—serving as both functional tableware and a commemorative souvenir. The initiative combined Italian food, folk art, and tourism into a collectible experience that lives on today through these highly sought-after ceramics.

Giovanni De Simone, a renowned and innovative artisan from Palermo, Sicily, was a visionary artisan known for the use of intense colors and cubist drawing style similar to Picasso. Early in his life Giovanni worked with Picasso and shared his innovation using bright red in ceramics with Picasso. "Picasso loved that innovation. I express what comes through my imagination, filtering old and new memories, comparing my experiences and my understanding" wrote Giovanni De Simone in 1991.
Today, this art style is continued by his daughter Susanna. Her limited production bears her signature, together with the company's new name "Fabbrica della Ceramica”.

We now offer Vintage Giovanni DeSimone Ceramics in addition to the latest Susanna De Simone Collection. Giovanni's pieces are collectors items! Each piece is a unique, work-of-art.

Graffeo Coffee – Since 1935, San Francisco’s Artisan Roaster

Founded in 1935 in San Francisco’s North Beach, Graffeo Coffee is one of North America’s oldest artisan coffee roasters. Known for its small-batch roasting and rich, bold flavor, Graffeo has remained a favorite among coffee connoisseurs for nearly a century.

For over 45 years, Luciano Repetto led the brand with expert care, making Graffeo a staple in Michelin-starred restaurants and Bay Area icons like Zuni Café and House of Prime Rib. Now under the leadership of Walter A. Haas III, Graffeo continues to honor its legacy while introducing a new generation to handcrafted, gourmet coffee.

At Graffeo, it’s all about simplicity, quality, and tradition—in every cup.

Biordi Art Imports Handcrafted Mugs are handmade and painted by Italy's finest Italian artisans using traditional methods and techniques, our collection of mugs are beautiful interpretations of Italian majolica.

Available in a variety of designs including these iconic Susanna DeSimone mugs. Biordi offers the finest collection of Italian mugs available outside of Italy.

Italian Majolica Table Accessories – Function Meets Beauty

Discover the most beautifully painted and highly functional Italian Majolica table accessories, designed to elevate your dining experience. Our collection includes elegant utensils, salt and pepper grinders, olive oil jars, lazy susan's, and the newest addition – olive oil spray dispensers.

The iconic Italian designs include Ricco Deruta, Raffaellesco, Antico Deruta, Siena, and Orvieto.

Whether you're a Deruta collector or someone seeking a stunning, functional piece for your home, these accessories make the perfect gift or addition to your collection.

The Moorish Heads made famous by the HBO hit series "The White Lotus" are back-in-stock!

We have Moorish heads available in many sizes and colors, shop now, as they are selling out fast! Handmade and painted by Italian artisans, Biordi's offers the finest collection of authentic Moorish heads in the US.

The Moorish heads featured in "White Lotus" is a legend that goes back in the XI century, during the Moors domination in Sicily and as in most legends, is once again Cupid’s fault (or credit).

Best-selling one-of-a-kind Funny People in stock now! Every vase is a unique work of art!

Created by Ivana Antonini, perhaps the most creative ceramist in all of Italy. The new collection features d'arte ceramic vases all created individually and guaranteed to make you smile. .

The definition of Italiophile is a person with admiration, appreciation or emulation of Italy, its people, ideals, civilization, and culture. At Biordi, we offer the perfect gift, handmade and painted by Italian artisans using traditional methods and techniques, our collections are beautiful interpretations of Italian majolica and make perfect gifts for friends and loved ones.

Best of the Bay 2024

Voted Best of the Bay, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 for Best Overall Store!

What is Best of the Bay? Beyond thousands and thousands of voters expressing their love for the local people, places, and things that make this the Best Place on Earth, the annual Bay Guardian Best of the Bay (our 50th!) takes a temperature of the times. So many of you voted for brilliantly San Francisco and Bay Area things, showing how much you care, and how much local businesses, arts organizations, music-makers, cocktail shakers, and everything else inside the Golden Gate matters to who we are and how we live. We have so many new and classic winners.