Living craft
4,000 years of Sifnos pottery
From Bronze Age amphorae to the clay pots that bake today's revithada — pottery is the island's longest unbroken tradition.
Last updated: May 2026
Sifnos has the right clay — soft, plastic, easy to throw — and just enough wood to fire it. Archaeologists have dated local pottery shards to 3000 BC, and pottery making here has continued, almost without pause, ever since.
In the early 20th century, Sifnian potters travelled the Greek world and beyond, setting up workshops as far as Egypt and Romania. Today around a dozen studios remain, mostly clustered around Vathi and Kamares.
The most famous local form is the tsoukali — the round, lidded clay pot used for revithada. They're sold in every village shop, and they're cheap, beautiful and surprisingly easy to fly home.
Workshops worth a visit
Atsonios
Vathi
Three generations on the same wheel — best for traditional shapes.
Apostolidis Ceramics
Vathi
Modern Cycladic designs, beautiful glazes.
Lembesis
Kamares
Workshop right by the port — perfect for a quick visit.
Kalogirou
Artemonas
Functional cookware — the famous Sifnian clay pots.
What to bring home
Buying Sifnos pottery
Tsoukali
The lidded clay pot for revithada. Unglazed, ovenproof, surprisingly cheap (€15–30). The most useful souvenir on the island.
Mastelo
A wider, shallower pot used for Easter lamb. Comes in various sizes — go small if it has to fly home.
Tableware
Modern Cycladic pieces — bowls, plates, jugs — with sea-glazed finishes. Best at Apostolidis and Kalogirou studios.
Tip: ask the potter to wrap pieces in newspaper inside a box — every studio does this, and it survives a flight in checked luggage.