I had the very good fortune to celebrate a recent wedding anniversary in Italy with friends.  We rented an apartment in the hilltop Umbrian capital, Perugia.  My friend and I told our husbands that we just had to go to nearby Deruta, the place where all the beautiful Italian pottery is made. 

We ended up spending most of the day  there combing through the shops.  One thing bothered me though--after literally scouring every store/studio/gallery/workshop in the town, I never once found the specific pottery I was looking for.  Why? Because what I had hoped to find is designed and ordered by Artistica Italian Gallery  in Hubbard Woods Winnetka and sold right here in town!  It may be hand made in Deruta and Tuscany, but you can only buy it through Artistica.  Simply put, they have the finest collection of home decor ceramics anywhere in Chicago (or the U.S.)

  The store is owned and operated by husband and wife Alice and Marco Margaritelli (with a warehouse in Miami and showrooms in Las Vegas, New York, and High Point, NC.)   In 1998 Alice was helping a friend sell Italian Murano glass at the Merchandise Mart in downtown Chicago. The space that the friend owned was shared with a seller of Italian ceramics and Alice fell in love with the pottery . . . and her husband Marco! She got married and began to sell the pottery herself, opening Artistica in Hubbard Woods in 2000.

The name Artistica is not just the name of their business, but also a brand that they have cultivated for many years.  Their beautiful pottery and majolica is now highly regarded and stamped or handpainted with the name; thus you are likely to hear people asking for "Artistica" pottery. Alice and Marco work closely together designing the shapes and choosing colors with the Italian artisans.  The actual patterns that are painted are from 16th century designs and everything is approved by them before being made.

Along with the retail operation at 990 Green Bay Road in Winnetka, Alice and Marco also sell through the internet, wholesale distributors, and professional interior designers.  For designers, they provide a beautiful four-color catalog that can be shown to clients.  They go to Italy once a year:  to Deruta for dinnerware and Tuscany for decorative items and majolica.  The store carries a wide variety of styles, shapes and sizes of dinnerware, ewers, bowls, biscotti jars, vases, hot plates, umbrella stands, pots, and much much more.  Plus Murano glass and stemware! In vibrant or muted colors.  In shapes you never knew existed!

You'll just have to stop in yourself and be transported to the hilly countryside of Tuscany and Umbria.  Alice and Marco have a great knowledge of their products and can help you with choosing gifts for weddings, parties, or your own home.

                                                                                            Above:  Paesaggio Toscano

Artistica Italian Gallery

990 Green Bay Road, Winnetka IL  60093

847-446-2916                                                                                              

  Dinnerware from Deruta (Geribi)

                                         Majolica with antique satin finish

  Murano Glass stemware display

                                          Limoni Majolica from Montelupo