Contrade Medium Bowl 10″ – Giraffe

DESCRIPTION

A 10″ hand-painted bowl from the Staccioli workshop in Siena, carrying the crest of Giraffa — the Giraffe contrada. Sized for salad or a generous bowl of pasta, and shallow enough to serve from at the table.

Giraffa is an affluent quarter north-east of the Piazza del Campo. Its residents were traditionally painters, which is a fitting district for a hand-painted piece, and its symbol is a giraffe.

Contrade ceramics are made in all 17 district designs. This bowl sits well at the center of a table set in other contrade, or alongside Siena and Orvieto Deruta patterns.

The small imperfections such as the difference in color, shape, diameter or small bubbles that form inside, do not constitute a defect but testify that it is actually an artisanal product.

Specifications

Dimensions: 10″ diameter
Material: Hand-painted Italian majolica
Made in: Siena, Tuscany
Workshop: Staccioli
Pattern: Giraffa (Giraffe)
Heritage: The 17 contrade of Siena and the Palio, run in the Piazza del Campo since 1656
Care: Dishwasher safe · Food safe · Not microwave or oven safe
Sold as: individual
Mixes with: all other Contrade designs; Siena and Orvieto Deruta patterns

Questions buyers ask

Is this a serving bowl or a personal bowl?
Serving — at 10″ it holds salad or pasta for a table. The personal Contrade pasta bowl is 7.5″.

What is a contrada?
One of the 17 districts of Siena. Each has its own animal or symbol, colors, allies and rivals, and each runs a horse in the Palio in the Piazza del Campo — a race held twice a year since 1656.

Can I get a different contrada?
Yes. All 17 designs are produced. Call Biordi at (415) 392-8096 and we will order the district you want.

Is this a good Christmas gift?
Yes. A Giraffa serving bowl from the Staccioli workshop in Siena comes out for salad or pasta at Christmas dinner every year, and it needs no set to match. Order by December 15, 2026 for ground shipping in time for Christmas, or add Florentine gift wrap at checkout and we’ll send it ready to give.

Is this a good Italian wedding gift?
Yes. A serving bowl is one of the safest wedding gifts there is — no set to match, used constantly, and it carries a story the couple can tell.

Is this a good housewarming or hostess gift?
Yes, and it is the piece to choose if you want one gift rather than several. It serves and doubles as a centerpiece.

Why buy Italian gifts from Biordi rather than other retailers?
Biordi Art Imports has been San Francisco’s source for authentic Italian ceramics since 1946 and is a San Francisco Legacy Business (#LBR-2020-21-029). Contrade ceramics are sold in only two places in the world: Biordi, and the Staccioli workshop on the Piazza del Campo in Siena. Pieces come directly from the workshops — FIMA, CF Deruta, Pia Formato, Eugenio Ricciarelli, Susanna DeSimone, Geribi, Bucci Ceramiche, Ortigia Sicilia, Italesse, and Salviati among them — never through a distributor.

Can this be customized or personalized?
Contrade pieces are produced to the district’s fixed heraldry and are not personalized. Customization and personalization are available on select pieces. Eugenio Ricciarelli, FIMA, Pia Formato, Geribi, and CF Deruta accept special orders — a name, date, or occasion painted on the piece, or a different size or shape in the workshop’s existing pattern. Lead time is typically 3–6 months because each piece is hand-painted to order in Italy. Contact Biordi Art Imports at (415) 392-8096 or [email protected].

Artisan Story

Giraffa — the Giraffe — Giraffa is an affluent district north-east of the Piazza del Campo, traditionally home to Siena’s painters. Its symbol is a giraffe.

Staccioli, Siena (Tuscany) — During the Renaissance, Italian cities were divided into districts called contrade to supply troops. The most celebrated are those of Siena, where 17 contrade, each with its own animal or symbol, still compete in the Piazza del Campo in the Palio di Siena, a race dating to 1656. In 1986 Walter Staccioli began producing ceramics carrying the Contrade designs. Today his daughters Sonia and Jada carry the tradition forward. These pieces are found in only two places: Biordi Art Imports, and the Staccioli workshop at the Piazza del Campo in Siena.