Company

Based on an age-old tradition, cotto is the result of a subtle alchemy of water, earth, and fire.
Relying on know-how passed down from one generation to the next, Fornace Brioni produces earthenware exclusively by hand, utilizing the finest clays slowly deposited by sedimentation on the floodplain of the Po River.

Founded in 1920 and now at its fourth generation with Alessio and Alberto Brioni, the firm has always been a leader in the restoration of traditional floors. The two brothers now look to the future, investing in research and development involving infinite new interpretations of cotto, while preserving a strong bond with history.

fornace brioni azienda 03 — ^{Fausto Brioni padre di Alberto e Alessio Brioni}

fornace brioni azienda 02 — ^{Alberto e Alessio Brioni}

Fornace Brioni produces cotto by hand, starting with a mixture of only clay and water, fired at high temperatures. Cotto has the special characteristics of a hand-crafted product: every piece is different from the others.

Cotto is a sustainable material par excellence.

The life cycle of cotto is circular. Throughout the production phase and after firing, any excess is gathered and re-utilized. Prior to firing it remains raw material, while after firing it is ground up for use in chamotte and cocciopesto. All scrap is reinserted in the production cycle.
Cotto is extraordinary because it is made only with clay and rainwater, substantial and natural ingredients that generate an ecological material endowed at the same time with high-tech characteristics.

fornace brioni trattamento protettivo — Alessio Brioni applies the protective treatment on samples

The term “sustainability” comes from the Latin, sustineo, sustinere, which means to uphold, to endure: the cotto floors found in historic Italian palaces are a demonstration of the durability of an iconic, timeless material.

Appointed as the brand’s creative director from 2016 to October 2024, Cristina Celestino began with an erudite reinterpretation of the product’s history to explore its aesthetic potential, stripping away more rhetorical connotations and emphasizing its strong, unique identity. By evoking the charm rooted in the Renaissance heritage of cotto, she ventured into new territory with geometric shapes and bas-reliefs, dimensions, and format combinations, thus exploring that subtle boundary where craftsmanship becomes design.