Founded in 1908 by Gaetano Ballardini, the MIC - International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza houses a rich collection spanning centuries and cultures, exploring the history of a material as ancient as humanity itself.
The exhibition is divided into sixteen sections. On the ground floor, visitors can admire refined porcelain from the Far East, which arrived here via the 'Porcelain Route' and, from Marco Polo onwards, influenced Western decorative arts. The museum also houses the most important collection of pre-Columbian ceramics in Italy, with around two hundred objects from Mexico, Central and South America, some of which are extremely rare. ceramics from the Ancient Near East and Ancient Egypt and Classical ceramics (Etruscan, Roman, and Greek), as well as an overview of the production of the ancient Islamic world. On the upper floor, visitors enter the heart of the collection with Faenza ceramics, which are displayed starting from the Middle Ages and continuing through the Renaissance, a crucial period for Faenza's production, to the Baroque period. Faenza majolica, and in particular the “Bianchi di Faenza” (white Faenza), from the mid-1500s and for over a century, became so widespread and famous in Europe that the term “Faience” came to be identified with majolica. Don't miss the section dedicated to Italian Renaissance majolica. This wonderful collection displays ceramics from the most important regional production centers in Italy: from the historiated majolica of the Duchy of Urbino to the golden and red lustres of Gubbio and Deruta, the polychrome pottery of Venice and Tuscan production, where the Medici porcelain cup stands out, a very rare example of Renaissance research into porcelain production.

The exhibition then moves on to a broad overview of ceramics from 1600 to 1800, presented by region, but of great interest is the collection dedicated to the Italian and European 20th century, with ceramics from the Futurist, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco periods and works by great masters such as Picasso, Chagall, Matisse, Arturo Martini, Fontana, Leoncillo, Burri, and pieces from the great Italian and European manufacturers.