Iona
HISTORY
An apple-green house, where plates and plants blend together.
An elderly woman welcomes us with a big smile. Communication is difficult—English is a foreign language to her, as it is for many Romanians in this region who live in the countryside—and our Romanian accent when we read the rough translations from our phones is a bit off, but despite everything, laughter fills the air.
Since losing her husband, she has almost stopped making ceramics.
The room dedicated to her creations and those of her husband is like Pandora's box: the tree of life, fish, roosters, and other symbols of the village are all gathered in this small room, hidden from outside view.
HOREZU
Horezu is a village home to a community of about fifty artisans who handcraft traditional ceramics using methods that date back more than three hundred years. One example of this is the use of ox horn and a feather to glaze the pieces.
In 2012, Horezu pottery was recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.
