Salernes is one of the places in the Var where you can discover ceramics both as heritage and as a living craft. Tomettes helped make its name, but the village is about more than one type of tile. A visit offers a chance to explore materials, discover designs and choose a keepsake that suits your home.
A village shaped by clay crafts
The Dracénie tourist office presents Salernes as a centre for ceramics, with manufacturers and workshops offering a wide variety of creations. Their uses range from tableware to decorative objects and architectural ceramics. This variety shows how Salernes connects several trades and many different expressions of the material. Find more on the official Salernes information page.
In the nineteenth century, the growth of tomette production gave the red tile a special place in village life. To follow that story, our article on Salernes terracotta tile history traces the main stages of its development using the town’s records.
A Provence keepsake to personalise
These two compositions bring a Provençal touch to a piece you can give or display. A house name or a few personal words connect the decoration with a story that belongs to its recipient.
Start at the Maison de la Céramique Terra Rossa
Terra Rossa is a useful starting point for connecting objects with the skills used to make them. Among its displays is a reconstruction of nineteenth-century tomette workshops, with historic machinery and explanations of how clay is processed. Tile collections also show other approaches to decoration. Details are available on the page for Terra Rossa’s permanent exhibitions.
Check the museum’s own website when planning your visit: opening hours, temporary exhibitions and visiting arrangements may change. If you are bringing children or want to join an activity, check what is available on your chosen date. You can then select the visit that interests you and book if necessary.
Look at details rather than searching for a standard souvenir
When you find a piece, take time to compare its colour, surface and design. You may be drawn to exposed terracotta, painted decoration or a more contemporary shape. Choosing is easier when you know where the object will go: a shelf, desk and wall call for different formats and display methods.
Ask the seller or maker specific questions. What is the material? Where is the blank made? Where is the decoration applied? Is the object designed to hang or stand? These conversations add another dimension to a souvenir: you take home both a piece and a story to tell when you display it.
Choose a personal souvenir of Provence
A landscape might recall a holiday; a village name, a walk; a date, the moment you discovered the region. You can choose a design you like as shown, or a customisable decorative tile to add your own words. The right keepsake is one that naturally finds a place in your home.
For a gift, start with the recipient’s connection to Provence. Is it a family region, a shared trip or a new home? A short inscription can express that connection: “Our summer in Provence”, a place name or simply a year. Our personalised Provence keepsakes let you compare several design styles.
The place of Salernes in MyTomette designs
For our customisable terracotta range, the blanks are traditionally made in Salernes. We then personalise them by laser engraving in the Var. Your design can become a tomette or tile, depending on the formats offered on its product page. Your chosen illustration, name or phrase connects the piece with your story.
The shop also offers decorative tiles with fixed designsin a 10 × 10 cm format. This range invites you to choose a scene or motif as shown. Materials and finishes are detailed on each product page to help you compare.
Plan the journey and a place for your keepsake
Keep your piece protected while travelling, then picture it in its new setting. On a small shelf, it could accompany a holiday photograph; in the hallway, a place name can welcome you each day. To hang it, choose the options specified on that product’s page.
For a personalised MyTomette order, the stated preparation time is 3 working days, excluding delivery. You can therefore follow your discovery of Salernes with a design made with your own words, without having to decide on the whole composition during your stay.