On Friday, June 12, 2026, at 5:30 p.m., in the Sala del Verrocchio, the Bargello National Museum will host a lecture titled The Blue of Florence. Saffron-glazed majolica at the dawn of the Renaissance: from the ceramic workshop to the apothecary – an event promoted by GAMB—Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze e Musei del Bargello as part of JEA 2026—European Archaeology Days 2026.

The event will focus on relief-decorated zaffera, one of the finest examples of Florentine ceramic production from the early Renaissance. Following introductory remarks by Andreina Contessa, Director General of the GAMB—Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze e Musei del Bargello, Valeria d’Aquino, an archaeologist at the institution, will present the results of the excavation of the kiln of Giunta di Tugio, one of the most important ceramists active in 15th-century Florence.

This will be followed by a lecture by Marino Marini, a medieval archaeologist, former curator of the majolica collections at the Bargello National Museum, and one of the leading scholars of Florentine zaffera, who will explore the historical, artistic, and functional aspects of this refined production, with particular attention to the works created for the Spedale di Santa Maria Nuova.

The lecture is organized as part of the Ministry of Culture’s initiatives for JEA 2026, the European Days of Archaeology (June 12–14), promoted by INRAP – Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives.

Admission is free for museum ticket holders.