Portugal is the land of great sun, great wine, great food and… great ceramics. These are all feel-good factors that come to mind when we think about this great country.

 The Portuguese have been working clay since the pre-historic times and today these skilled artisans are turning this ancient heritage to new forms of art.

There are 3 museums in Portugal dedicated exclusively to ceramics:
- The ceramic museum in Caldas da Rainha;
- The pottery museum in Barcelos;
- The tiles museum in Lisbon;

Caldas da Rainha, just north of Lisbon, is the unofficial center of pottery in Portugal because of its abundance of clay deposits and wonderful ceramics. In 1884, Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro opened up a factory of decorative pieces that made the whole town famous. The most traditional and famous ones are Zé Povinho -the bearded peasant everyman- and a cabbage-shaped soup tureen.