The hilltop village of Caltagirone rises like a mirage above the parched landscape of central Sicily. Scrubby plants and olive trees eke out their existence in the sand-colored earth, along with the hardy residents of this town. When the heat reaches toward triple digits Fahrenheit on a typical summer afternoon, the dozens of Caltagirone’s artisans retreat beneath the awnings of their shops, quietly painting colorful designs on ceramic pots, waiting for the town to come alive again as the sun goes down.

Take one look at the landscape around Caltagirone, and you’ll understand why ceramics became the destiny of this hilltop town. For two millennia, the clay has meant a living for the people of Caltagirone. The word Caltagirone itself derives from the Arabic phrase Qal’at al Ghiran, or Rock of the Vases, which, according to legend, is the name its medieval inhabitants gave it.