Classic Deruta — Patterns & the FIMA Workshop in Deruta, Italy
Classic Deruta — six patterns, one workshop
Classic Deruta is the foundation of Italian ceramics: six hand-painted dinnerware patterns from Deruta, Italy, the Umbrian town that has been the center of Italian majolica since the 12th century. The six patterns — Ricco Deruta, Antico Deruta, Raffaellesco, Siena, Orvieto Green Rooster, and Bordato — capture the elegance of Italy's traditional tableware from the Renaissance to the modern day.
All six Classic Deruta patterns in the Biordi catalog are produced by a single master workshop: FIMA, in Deruta. FIMA succeeded the historic Deruta workshop CAMA, which originated several of these designs. Biordi has been the San Francisco source for authentic Italian ceramics since 1946, when founder Emilio Biordi traveled to Deruta to select the best representation of what would become known as the Classic Deruta designs.
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The six Classic Deruta patterns
Ricco Deruta
Biordi's most popular pattern for classic Italian dinnerware — and Deruta's most celebrated design. Ricco Deruta can be traced to Perugino's frescos from the 16th century, and is hand-painted in the original blues, yellows, and greens of the traditional Renaissance era. A joyful pattern that has been Biordi's best-selling Italian pottery for over 60 years. Shop Ricco Deruta →
Antico Deruta
Antico comes from the Italian in stilo antico — "in the ancient style" — a Renaissance phrase that described polyphonic, layered musical composition. Antico is known as the musician's pattern: rich, subtle, and elegant, characterized by a light gray glaze and deep blue patterning. You can see clear visual relationships between Antico and the closely related Ricco design. Shop Antico Deruta →
Raffaellesco
Biordi's most appreciated pattern of classic Italian dinnerware. The stylized golden dragon at the center was reputedly painted in the 16th century by Raphael, the master painter and architect of the Italian High Renaissance. The dragon is a benevolent deity that bestows good luck and fair winds on seagoing merchants — the puffs of wind streaming from its mouth represent that blessing. Raffaellesco is hailed as one of Deruta's most challenging designs; its intricacy requires an unimaginably steady hand. Shop Raffaellesco →
Siena
A strikingly elegant pattern in black and dark red, built around the figure of a sitting deer. Siena is a reproduction of a 13th-century mosaic marble inlay found on the floor of the Siena Cathedral, one of Italy's most celebrated marble pavements. The deer is believed to represent the emblem of a prestigious family. Shop Siena →
Orvieto Green Rooster
One of Italy's oldest dinnerware designs. The style originated in the 13th century in Orvieto, a small town set on a volcanic plateau in Umbria. The pattern features il Buon Gallo — the Good Rooster — a traditional symbol of luck and prosperity for the home. In the Renaissance, Orvieto ceramics were often associated with green colorations, which is why the modern Orvieto pattern carries its signature deep teal-green palette. The singing-rooster motif itself was introduced by Deruta ceramicists in the early 20th century. Shop Orvieto →
Bordato
The modern Classic Deruta pattern. Bordato was one of the first geometric designs in Deruta ceramics, developed in the early 1980s at Biordi under the direction of Gianfranco Savio. Today this approach to Deruta ceramics is referred to as the geometric movement. Where the other Classic Deruta patterns carry painterly Renaissance scenes, Bordato is built on a repeating blue geometric border — a clean, modern visual language that pairs sharply with the older patterns on the same table. Shop Bordato →
FIMA — the workshop behind Classic Deruta
FIMA is the master workshop in Deruta, Italy that hand-paints every Classic Deruta piece in the Biordi catalog. Every Ricco Deruta dinner plate, every Antico Deruta mug, every Raffaellesco platter, every Siena, Orvieto, and Bordato piece begins at FIMA — as raw earthenware shaped and bisque-fired, then hand-painted by a single artisan, then glazed and re-fired into the finished majolica.
FIMA is a working production workshop, not a tourist studio. Their painters spend years training in the Deruta tradition before working on the full Classic Deruta patterns. Raffaellesco in particular — with its intricate dragon and curling scrollwork — is hailed as one of the most challenging patterns in all of Italian majolica to paint; only experienced artisans at FIMA work on it.
Because every Classic Deruta piece is hand-painted by a single artisan, no two pieces are exactly alike. The small differences in color, shape, line, or diameter that you'll see piece-to-piece are signs of authentic hand-painting, not defects. They're the visible record of one human hand making one object.
FIMA and CAMA: the historical succession
Long-time Deruta collectors often know the Classic Deruta patterns from an earlier workshop name: CAMA. CAMA was the historic Deruta workshop that originated several of these classic designs. FIMA succeeded CAMA and now produces the same patterns.
The patterns themselves are essentially the same. What differs is the artisan's hand: FIMA's painters use slightly different color tones than CAMA's did. The two work beautifully together. If you have CAMA pieces in your collection from years past, you can add FIMA pieces today and the table will read as one cohesive group. This continuity — the same Deruta tradition passing from one workshop to its successor — is one of the reasons Classic Deruta endures as a heritable collection.
Why Biordi for Classic Deruta
Biordi Art Imports has been San Francisco's source for authentic Italian ceramics since 1946. When founder Emilio Biordi traveled to Deruta in the years after the war, he selected the workshops and patterns that would become the foundation of Classic Deruta in North America. That direct relationship with the Deruta workshops — FIMA today, CAMA before that — has continued unbroken for nearly 80 years.
- Voted Best Overall Retailer in the San Francisco Bay Guardian Best of the Bay readers' poll for five consecutive years.
- Designated a San Francisco Legacy Business (#LBR-2020-21-029).
- The City of San Francisco declared May 1 "Biordi Art Imports Day" in 2021.
- Every piece in the catalog comes from a named Italian artisan, family workshop, or heritage house Biordi works with directly — not a stock-photo listing, not a mass-produced import, not a reproduction.
Questions about Classic Deruta & FIMA
What is Classic Deruta?
Classic Deruta is a family of six traditional hand-painted Italian dinnerware patterns from the town of Deruta, Italy: Ricco Deruta, Antico Deruta, Raffaellesco, Siena, Orvieto Green Rooster, and Bordato. Five of the six trace back to Renaissance or earlier Italian sources; Bordato is the modern (1980s) geometric counterpart. At Biordi, all six are produced by the FIMA workshop in Deruta.
Where is Deruta?
Deruta is a small town in Umbria, central Italy, about 15 minutes from Perugia. It has been the center of Italian majolica ceramic production since the 12th century, and today has over 100 pottery workshops. The Deruta name is legally protected in Italy as an indicator of origin — "Deruta" on a piece of ceramic means it was actually made in Deruta.
Who makes Classic Deruta?
The FIMA workshop in Deruta, Italy. FIMA is the master workshop that hand-paints every Classic Deruta dinnerware piece in the Biordi catalog — Antico Deruta, Ricco Deruta, Raffaellesco, Siena, Orvieto, and Bordato.
Is FIMA the same as CAMA?
FIMA is the workshop in Deruta now producing the Classic Deruta patterns once made by CAMA, the historic Deruta workshop that originated several of these designs. The patterns themselves are essentially the same. What differs is the artisan's hand — FIMA's painters use slightly different color tones than CAMA's did. The two work well together: if you have CAMA pieces from years past, you can add FIMA pieces today and the table will read as one cohesive group.
What is majolica?
Majolica is tin-glazed earthenware — a hand-painted Italian ceramic tradition that dates to the Renaissance. The technique involves a white tin glaze that creates a flat painting surface, on which artisans hand-paint patterns in metal-oxide pigments. The piece is then glaze-fired to fuse pigment and glaze permanently into the surface. Read more on majolica →
Is Classic Deruta really hand-painted?
Yes. Every Classic Deruta piece in the Biordi catalog is hand-painted by a single artisan at the FIMA workshop in Deruta. No two pieces are exactly alike. The small differences in color, shape, line, or diameter that you'll see piece-to-piece are signs of authentic hand-painting, not defects.
Is Classic Deruta dishwasher safe?
Yes — Classic Deruta dinnerware is dishwasher safe and food safe. It is not microwave safe (the underglaze can stress under microwave heat) and not oven safe. Read full majolica care guidelines →
Can I mix the Classic Deruta patterns?
Yes — and that's the design intention. All six Classic Deruta patterns are built to coordinate with each other. Many customers build a layered table by combining patterns rather than committing to one matched set. Ricco Deruta, Antico Deruta, Raffaellesco, Siena, Orvieto, and Bordato all sit comfortably on the same table. You can also combine the "full design" pieces with their "simplified" versions.
Can Classic Deruta be customized or personalized?
Yes — FIMA accepts special orders. A name, date, or occasion can be hand-painted on the piece, or a different size or shape can be made in the workshop's existing pattern. Lead time is typically 3–6 months because each piece is hand-painted to order in Italy. Contact Biordi at (415) 392-8096 or customerservice@biordi.com to place a special order.
If a Classic Deruta piece shows out of stock, can I still order it?
Yes. Every Classic Deruta pattern can be reordered as a special order at the FIMA workshop in Deruta. Lead time is typically 3–6 months. Contact Biordi at (415) 392-8096 or customerservice@biordi.com.
Is Classic Deruta a good Italian wedding gift?
Yes — Classic Deruta dinnerware is one of the most traditional Italian-American wedding gifts. Hand-painted Italian ceramics are heirloom-quality, one-of-a-kind, and they carry their origin clearly: every piece is made in Deruta, Italy by the FIMA workshop. Couples actually use and display Biordi pieces rather than store them. Biordi ships nationwide, gift-wraps on request, and offers a gift registry for wedding couples.
How does Biordi source Classic Deruta?
Biordi works directly with the FIMA workshop in Deruta — and worked with CAMA before that. The relationship dates to 1946, when founder Emilio Biordi traveled to Deruta to select the patterns and workshops that would become the foundation of Classic Deruta in North America.