Le Fornaci will be exceptionally open on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in the morning, but will be
closed from Friday, July 3 to Friday, July 10, 2026 inclusive
Contact us by email at info@lefornaci.ch or by phone at +41 91 648 19 27 for appointments or urgent matters.
We are delighted to host, throughout the summer season, the collective art installation The Ceramic Chicken Coop, conceived by ceramic artist Rosi Ghielmini at her Atelier dell’Inglese in Riva San Vitale, in collaboration with Le Fornaci, using a variety of clays and glazes.
Works created by: Rosi and Aurora Ghielmini, Luigi Santos, Michele Marbach, Yael Fortunato, Cristina Decarli, Chiara and Lucia Polli, and Giuliana Reggi (Faenza).
Metal elements by Bernardo Bernaschina.
On display from 20 June 2026.
At the end of the summer, the installation will be transferred to the Microcosmo residence of the I GIRASOLI Association in Trieste, a venue for social workshops, where, together with other ceramic hens created by various Italian ceramic studios, the real chicken coop will become a social chicken coop.
Visit Le Fornaci to discover the installation and find inspiration to create your own ceramic hen during the Easter course planned for 2027.
We are pleased to host in the Fornaci garden during the summer season the collective artistic frame Art, Sustainability and Participation, conceived by the Riva San Vitale Parents’ Group with the support of the Riva San Vitale School Institute and Carpenteria Larghi of Riva San Vitale.
Using fabric scraps and textile offcuts, pupils from the kindergarten and primary school created a collective composition distinguished by its expressive spontaneity, vibrant colours and originality.
Come and admire the frame in person and strike a pose for your photographic portrait.
With a striking visual impact, the Obvara technique involves the final firing of pre-fired pieces in a small outdoor gas kiln. The objects are removed at around 800°C and immersed in a mixture of water, flour, and yeast prepared three days earlier, then left to cool slowly. Thanks to this process, evocative decorative effects with ochre, brown, and dark tones appear on the surfaces of the pieces, making each one unique and one of a kind.
Do you have ceramic objects you would like to decorate using the Obvara technique?
Come to Le Fornaci di Riva San Vitale on Saturday, May 23, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM
To withstand thermal shock, the pieces must meet the following requirements:
fine chamotte refractory clay, smoothed, already bisque-fired.
Maximum dimensions: 25 x 25 x 25 cm
Price: from CHF 20
Foto: ©Antje Bargmann
At Fornaci, you will find someone ready to welcome you on the following days (public holidays excluded):
for deliveries, pickups and information.
Contact us to arrange an appointment.
The Le Fornaci Foundation is pleased to announce that, starting today, the 2026 courses are available online. In the dedicated section, you will find the full program from January to July, along with the international courses and special workshops scheduled for the second half of the year.
The calendar is constantly being updated: new initiatives will be added throughout the summer to offer you a rich, dynamic, and continually engaging program.
The Le Fornaci di Riva San Vitale Foundation presents the first group exhibition dedicated to contemporary ceramics, marking the beginning of the Foundation’s activities following the restoration and reopening to the public.The exhibition is open from 21 November to 7 December 2025, Tuesday to Sunday.Opening hoursTue 13:30–17:00 / Wed and Thu 14:00–17:30 Fri 13:45–16:30 / Sat and Sun 14:00–17:00 Closed on Mondays.Free admission
With the presence of the MADEinNOVE group in Riva San Vitale, the Le Fornaci Foundation and the Municipality of Riva San Vitale aim to create a link between Ticino-based artists and international artists distinguished by tradition, culture and innovation.
The Riva San Vitale kilns, from a 19th-century reality to a modern European heritage
Foto: © Ti-Press / Francesca Agosta
The fiftieth edition of the event will take place on September 13 and 14, and the historical heritage of Riva San Vitale will play a leading role.
Foto: © Ti-Press
On Sunday, the inauguration took place of the restored spaces, which will become a centre of cultural excellence dedicated to ceramics and terracotta, also promoting education and training.
© RSI
The new life of the fornaci of Riva San Vitale
After three years of work, the old Riva San Vitale kilns have come back to life. The site has become a cultural and training centre.
After three years of work, the outcome of the restoration of the village’s historical heritage has been presented; it will become a ceramics workshop.
The Le Fornaci Foundation of Riva San Vitale is organizing a guided tour of the recently restored kiln complex, offering the opportunity to rediscover a place that represents not only a site for the production of bricks and terracotta artifacts, but also a unique environment where creativity and architectural innovation take shape.
The Le Fornaci Foundation of Riva San Vitale and the Municipality of Riva San Vitale are pleased to announce the inauguration of the Fornaci district, which will take place on Saturday 6 September and Sunday 7 September.
The students of the Riva San Vitale school invite you to the exhibition “Our land: from clay to the Kilns”.
Recently, two artists from Nove, in the Vicenza area, a land of ceramics, were welcomed. “We are building synergies and strategic connections”
From “I promessi sposi” by Alessandro Manzoni, a literary evening with Prof. Francesco Bianchi together with actors Maria Luisa Cregut and Roberto Regazzoni at the Municipal Palace of Riva San Vitale
From brick to art, the new life of the Fornaci of Riva San Vitale
Foto: ©Chiara Zocchetti
Foto: Ti-Press/Alessandro Crinari
Comparto Fornaci Riva San Vitale
Arte e Cultura della ceramica
Institutional partner
With the support of
© Copyright Fondazione Le Fornaci di Riva San Vitale
