Una tradizione Sorrentina e Napoletana * Autentico Made in Italy * Oltre 300 anni di Qualità Artigianale
A real Italian tradition from Sorrento and Naples – over 300 years of excellent craftsmanship
Meet the last two generations of Forni Aversa.
Grandpa kept traditional craftsmanship alive for more than half a century. Although he is no longer with us, his grandson Attilio has learnt all the tricks of the trade.
The little village of Maiano on the Sorrento peninsula is home to the unique stone slabs known as biscotti di Sorrento.
This unique material goes back to the 15th century and is famed for its use in the world's greatest wood-fired ovens. Attilio Massa has followed in the footsteps of his grandfather and kept the name of Forni Aversa alive.
In December 2015 we were awarded the title of "master craftsmen", in recognition of the quality of our historic product and the wood-fired ovens made with Maiano's famous stone slabs.
We are one of only two potteries in the world that still make biscotti.
Just 60 years ago there were seven of us, providing work for dozens of families. We were part of one of the most productive sectors on the peninsula. At Forni Aversa today, we make stone slabs and oven bases for bakeries and pizzerias around the world.
Our biscotti and other stone slabs can be found on every continent and in over 100 countries.
Every year our craftsmen turn out thousands of stone slabs for building wood-fired ovens in Italy and around the world.
From our kilns come stone slabs destined for the ovens of the best pizzerias around the world, from Little Italy and Broadway in New York to London and Paris.
Restaurant and pizzeria owners in Italy count themselves lucky to have got hold of stone slabs made by the Aversa family in our artisan oven materials workshop near Naples. In Rome, Florence, Milan, Venice and Turin, the pizzas made on our stone from Sant'Agnello are always the tastiest.
We extract our raw material right on site. Following a centuries-old process, the clay is carefully sifted and mixed with water, then worked by hand on old wheels to refine it. Later on it is placed in wooden frames built by our forefathers.
Before they are cooked in the historic wood-fired kiln at 800ºC, our stone slabs are left to dry for a few months in summer and for two months in winter.
Our stone slabs from Sant'Agnello stand out from other materials made in mechanical presses and modern machinery, among other things for their porousness.
This feature makes the slabs resistant to high temperatures. We produce a wide range of products, from oven bases to cladding.
The range of forms it offers, its perfect combination with different materials and their versatility when used in classic or modern décor, are what allow our famous cotto maianese to create and personalise any living space, be it an elegant house in the country or a more practical urban flat.