Arte d’Italia got its start in 1982, when Ben Spalluto and his wife, Carol, discovered a shared love of Italian ceramics while visiting family in Italy. In the following years, while learning the retail market and finding suppliers in Italy, they hoped that their children could be involved sometime in the future. In 1996, daughter Julie joined the business, followed soon after by her sister, Adele. A few years later, the Spalluto’s son, Joe, also joined the business. We launched our website in 1998.
Today, Arte d’Italia Imports is your source for the finest Italian pottery at discounted prices. As a wholesale distributor we are able to buy in volume and offer our imports to you at 30% off regular retail. Our family scours the Italian countryside each year for the most interesting designs and patterns, and we proudly bring these handmade works of art to you.
Arte d’Italia
929 State Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Toll-Free: (877) 496-5599
Local: (805) 564-7655
Fax: (805) 564-7656
Open 10:30-6:30 daily (Pacific time)
Familia Spalluto (clockwise): Frank, Joe, Julie, Ben, Carol, & Adele.
We have a huge selection of traditional pottery from Umbria and Tuscany, as well as new and exciting patterns from regions all over Italy. Our ceramics are made in small workshops where artisans and their families produce individual works of art using techniques handed down from generation to generation.
We carry the largest collection of quality, handmade and hand-decorated Italian ceramics in the West, providing our customers with beautiful and unique items for their homes and gardens. We offer excellent customer service and prompt shipping from our fully stocked warehouse.
In 2013 we proudly celebrated our 30th anniversary. The Spalluto family would like to extend its gratitude to all of the loyal customers who have shared a love of Italian ceramics with us throughout the years.
Feel free to browse our website to your hearts content, and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call. We have imported from Italy for more than 30 years and have a wealth of information concerning Italian ceramics. We occasionally have some one-of-a-kind pieces that we aren’t able to put online, so if you don’t see what you’re looking for, give us a call or shoot us an email – we’d be happy to send you photos and pricing.
Mille grazie!