A Journey Through Time and Material

What was life like before glass and plastic? The Museum of Traditional Pottery in Aetofolia gives the answer, with its beautiful, clay world.

“The jars that ended up here from other islands (Sifnos, Chios, Crete, etc.) reveal that Tinos was an important mercantile station during the 18th and 19th centuries”.

Art of Clay: The Birth of the Museum

The Museum of Traditional Pottery of Tinos was created three years ago in Aetofolia, the epicenter of pottery activity on the island from the 30s until the 60s when the last kiln ceased to operate.

In 1989 the Cultural Association of Aetofoliana, wishing to highlight the ancient art of clay that flourished here since the Geometric Times, bought an old Tinian house, and provided a “home” for the museum. The building was repaired, the exhibits were gathered, the traditional kiln was fixed and the operation began…

A Rich Collection of Ceramics

The collection of the museum includes more than 200 ceramic objects, donated by the inhabitants of Aetofolia and the surrounding villages, which come either from domestic production or from areas abroad, such as Canakkale in Turkey, France, Italy, and the Netherlands. The jars that ended here from other islands (Sifnos, Chios, Crete, etc.) reveal that Tinos was an important mercantile station during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Hands-On Experience: The Pottery Workshop

The visitor has the opportunity to see up close items such as the Tinian crock, wide-bottomed crock, kouknoukia, laina, laini, k’pak’, foufou, zara, galatero, marmite, jar, koumi, myseli, armegio, smokers, censers, and vases.
At the same time, in the square of Aetofolia, there is a pottery workshop, where the old ceramist Yiannis Exilzes gives lessons in the manufacture of ceramic utensils.

It is open during the summer months (from June to September 15) from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 20:00.