Blue Maiolica Gift Set — Hand-Painted Octopus Soap Dish & Three Italian Soaps

Three full-size Italian soaps and a hand-painted ceramic soap dish from Casa Amalfi, in a gold-lined box printed with blue maiolica tile — cobalt and white scrollwork of the kind that runs across church domes and stair risers all along the Costiera.

The dish is the blue one in the range: a pale sea-blue ground with a white octopus painted across it, tentacles curling, red dots down each arm, and a border of burgundy dashes. Octopus is as Neapolitan a subject as lemons are Sorrentine — the thing pulled out of the water, painted onto the thing that sits by the sink.

The three bars are each 150g, triple-milled, made with shea butter and jojoba oil:

Sailing il Mediterraneo — blue ocean. Open water: salt air and clean breeze.
Take Me to Capri — white fig and summer peach. Soft and fruity, the warmest of the three.
Blue Grotto — fresh acqua marine. Cool and saline, named for the sea cave on Capri's north shore where the light comes up through the water.

Vegan and cruelty-free. Three blue-water scents and a dish that stays long after the soap is gone.

Contents: One hand-painted ceramic soap dish and three 150g soap bars, in a printed gift box
Dish dimensions: 5 1/2" x 4"
Pattern: Hand-painted octopus on sea-blue ground, burgundy dotted rim
Scents: Sailing il Mediterraneo (blue ocean); Take Me to Capri (white fig and summer peach); Blue Grotto (fresh acqua marine)
Material: Hand-painted ceramic
Made in: Amalfi Coast, Campania, Italy
Brand: Casa Amalfi
Formulation: Triple-milled with shea butter and jojoba oil; vegan and cruelty-free
Care: Dish is dishwasher safe; keep the bar in use dry between washes
Sold as: Gift set of four pieces
Pairs with: Casa Amalfi Lemon Maiolica set, Casa Amalfi soap duos, Nesti Dante Villa Sole soaps

What is in the box?
Four pieces: a hand-painted ceramic soap dish, 5 1/2" x 4", and three full-size 150g soaps — Sailing il Mediterraneo, Take Me to Capri, and Blue Grotto.

What is painted on the dish?
A white octopus on a sea-blue ground, with red dots along the tentacles and a burgundy dotted border. Each one is painted by hand, so no two are identical.

Is the dish dishwasher safe?
Yes. It can also be washed by hand, which many people prefer for hand-painted pieces.

How do the three scents differ?
Sailing il Mediterraneo and Blue Grotto are both clean and marine — the first breezier, the second cooler and more saline. Take Me to Capri is the fruity one, white fig and summer peach.

Are they vegan?
Yes. All three are vegan and cruelty-free, triple-milled with shea butter and jojoba oil.

Can I use the dish for something other than soap?
Yes — it works as a ring dish on a dresser, a small tray for olives or lemon wedges, or a spoon rest by the stove.

Is this a good Italian wedding gift?
It is a strong shower, engagement, or thank-you gift, and it looks generous unwrapped. For a wedding gift meant to last a lifetime, look to hand-painted Deruta dinnerware or Salviati Murano glass.

Is this a good housewarming or hostess gift?
Yes — particularly for a beach house or anywhere near water. It arrives boxed and needs no wrapping, and the dish stays in the house long after the soap is gone.

Why buy Italian gifts from Biordi rather than other retailers?
Biordi Art Imports has imported from Italy since 1946 and is a San Francisco Legacy Business (#LBR-2020-21-029). We buy directly from the makers — FIMA, CF Deruta, Pia Formato, Eugenio Ricciarelli, Susanna DeSimone, Geribi, Bucci Ceramiche, Ortigia Sicilia, Italesse, and Salviati — and we know where each piece comes from. Questions: (415) 392-8096 or customerservice@biordi.com.

Casa Amalfi — Costiera Amalfitana, Campania — An Italian house making ceramics, soaps, fragrances, and candles drawn from the Amalfi Coast. Its ceramics are hand-painted by artisans of the Costiera, and no two pieces come out the same. Bold color, living detail, gestures passed down through time — this is how the Coast finds its way into your home, with its light and its rhythm. Each collection is built around a place: Capri, the Blue Grotto, Positano, Sorrento, Ravello.

UPS Ground

Flat shipping charge of $10 for each shipment of merchandise under $100.00. For orders of $100.00 or more, shipping is 10% of the order total.

UPS Next Day Air

Flat shipping charge of $63 for each shipment of merchandise under $70.00. For orders of $70.00 or more, shipping is 90% of the order total.

UPS 2-Day Priority (Rush Shipping)

Flat shipping charge of $42 for each shipment of merchandise under $70.00. For orders of $70.00 or more, shipping is 60% of the order total. Note: This option is required for shipping to Alaska and Hawaii.

USPS 3-Day Priority

Flat shipping charge of $21 for each shipment of merchandise under $70.00. For orders of $70.00 or more, shipping is 30% of the order total.

International Shipments

Please contact us at customerservice@biordi.com or call us at (415) 392-8096 for quotes to ship internationally.

You will be charged a rate based on your delivery area, value and shipping preference. For items shipped via UPS, see below for information pricing information. Once the package is shipped, you will receive an email with tracking information to track your package.