The age-old story of ceramics

The village of Salernes, in the high region of the Vars, is perched on the hillside looking down over the Bresque valley, with, at the heart of its historic past, a tradition – working with clay.

First of all, the raw material – clay
This clay is essential and irreplaceable in the production and creation of Salernes ceramics.
Huge amounts of this clay are found around the village, on the beds of numerous streams flowing down the surrounding hills which are covered with various species of oak and maritime pines.
If we add fire to this clay and water, we have the three components of a magic formula used 4,000 years ago by local inhabitants to produce vases and crockery for their everyday use.

The manufacture of ceramics has thus constituted the economic engine of the village for many centuries.

Following a profitable period of activity in earthenware, the reconversion took place after the Revolution in the manufacture of materials needed for local building projects: tiles, bricks, pipes and, above all, the "mallon" tiles to protect floors, walls and roofs.
As Mediterranean houses had no straight lines, the workers of Salernes decided to produce a hexagonal model, easy to set in a curved line.
It is light and strong -- the "box" flooring on the upper floors were made of wattle and lime which could not support a great deal of weight.
The ferruginous nature of Salerne clay, when heated to a very high temperature, enables ceramists to create the hard "mallon" tile known as the red "tomette".
The tomette is considered the cheapest of floor tiles; it can be washed and waxed and is warm in the Winter and cold in the Summer.

The manufacture of this mono-product increased considerably in the middle of the 19th century. More than a simple cottage industry, ceramics soon became a commercial activity, a spearhead for the local economy. To meet a growing demand outside the region, the small workshops set up in Salerne gradually expanded and new factories sprang up.

From the 19th century to the 1950s
With the growth of construction work on the coast during the 19th century, orders for tomettes flourished. The Salerne factories supplied stores in Toulon, Marseilles and Nice. Products were exported to North Africa, South Africa, Italy and America, passing through the ports of Toulon and Marseilles.
The tomette industry knew boom periods during that time. Despite economic crises, wars and foreign competition, the ceramics industry continued until the 1950s. During the post Second World War era, tomettes were used in the reconstruction of houses in Nice, Toulon, ...

Modern times
As the War gradually faded in our memories, so the tomette lost favour with consumers who, as their tastes changed, considered it rather "old-fashioned" and yearned for something new.
Ceramists adapted to these new demands by launching the terra cotta tile with its varied shapes and sizes, more suited to modern homes.
From 1970 onwards, activity in Salernes enjoyed a new boom, especially at the Port Grimaud site where houses had floors tiled with ...tomettes, and walls covered in tiles measuring 10 x 10 cms! Manufacturers delivered 3,000 m² of terra cotta tiles every month and 1,500 m² of enamelled tiles.
Certain manufacturers modernized their systems of production in response to the competitiveness of a swiftly expanding market.
Salernes tiles once again became a leading name. The plain terra cotta tile was still in fashion but it was not alone. Ceramists were introducing enamel (a process which produced an unlimited palette of colours) – with the decor and supports in enamelled lava. Tiles became objects of beauty and not simply protective coverings.
Nowadays, Salernes tile and pottery manufacturers offer high quality products to consumers - the result of traditional manufacturing processes mainly carried out by local craftsmen. The forms, colours, decoration and raw materials enable us to decorate our present-day living environment with modern styles and top designs and from a solely decorative point of view.