European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 9, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Italian ceramics . Nove s showroom is fitted with hand painted ceramics. A amps Dave Casey Man by a King Cruger Northern Italy Bureau the prohibitive Cost of training artisans May Stop the flow of Quality products from Italy s Ceramic Road. The Strada Dola Ceramic or Ceramic Road runs for about 25 Miles across Northern Italy. Starting North of Vicenza the route goes through Nove Marostica and Bassano Del grappa before ending at asolo. The Ceramic Road is More the creation of a tourist Board than a reality. In truth there s not a great Deal of interest Ceramic Wise except in Nove. Nove is probably the world Leader in the production of artistic ceramics but its position is perilous. Quot the top end Quality is disappearing because it costs too much to train people to do the work. The taxes and the paperwork Are killing us. Because of social legislation it costs me 1.2 million lire about $750 a month to employ a 15-year-old boy but he won t be Able to do Quality work until he has had years of training. I m not training anyone now and in a few years when my trained w orders retire i la close my factory Quot a disgusted Antonio zen told a recent visitor to his ceramics factory in Nove. Zen whose family business . Nove was established in 10etq, said that Nove pottery is characterized by its hand painted Flowers and fruits. Quot nobody under the age of 50 can do the High Quality pieces. I have four workers left in the factory. We had hundreds of them years ago a said the 54-year-old zen who started in the family business at 15. Quot detail is what gives value to ceramics and most buyers Don t have the background to understand that. So they buy junk because it is cheap Quot he said. Zen pointed to a Small table lamp fashioned out of scores of Ceramic petals. Quot every Petal is made by hand. Look closely and you can see the Artisan s fingerprints on some of the petals. It takes a Man 12 hours to make that lamp. You Hope the lamp then does t crack in the Kiln Quot zen said. The Petal lamp Sells at his factory outlet for 350,000 lire around $220not cheap but a fraction of what it would sell for in a smart shop outside Italy retail stores Mark up Quality Ceramic items anywhere from four to six times their wholesale Cost according to. Zen. To prove his Point he shows a visitor an and for one of his amps in a swedish Catalon. Its works out to $345. The same tamp minus Shade costs $54 at the factory. Knowledgeable buyers can find some genuine bargains in Nove and elsewhere along the Ceramic Road but there is a lot of junk for Sale too. Once a visitor has examined Quality pieces it s pretty easy to pick out the shoddy stuff with its poor designs flawed colors and badly done painting. Zen who exports mainly to shops in the United states offers a valuable tip to american buyers a a Quot buy decorative Ceramic items in Italy buy things in the United states that you will use every Day. That s. Because the ceramics Are stronger . Comes amps. Dave Casey Antonio zen owner . Nove says it takes years of training to create the Type of Quality products he likes to Seli