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Le Marche, Italy

By Caroline Kennedy -- Gifts and Dec, 12/1/2009 12:00:00 AM

Tucked between Umbria and the Adriatic Sea, the Marche Region of Italy is off the mainstream tourist path, yet the region is as rich in beauty, art, culture and history as more well known areas. One of the region's strengths is its deep-rooted craft tradition.

Artists preserve the forms and skills of traditional handicrafts — ceramics and majolica, goldsmithing, pillow lace, weaving, paper-making, book-binding and much more — while making them relevant to today's lifestyles.

Although much focus is on developing the economies of underdeveloped countries through bringing their handicrafts to the world market, developed countries such as Italy, also see the need to support regional economies and their craft artisans who are not only creating unique products but preserving their cultural heritage.

To that end, the regional authority of Italy's Le Marche region created a brand, Marche Eccellenza Artigiana, to support and promote its craft industry to a global audience. To qualify their work under the brand, craftworkers must be registered (recognised by law) and their work must meet a standard of quality and authenticity. Of the nearly 50,000 known "craftwork companies" in the Marche Region, 5,000 are recognized as Excellent Craftwork Companies and accorded the Marche Eccellenza Artigiana brand. With a respect for the cultural tradition of their art, the artisans blend the use of modern methods and tools with ancient techniques: goldsmiths use CAD programs to create the lost wax molds for their one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces; dogs, not pigs, are trained to hunt truffles.

While some craft disciplines are concentrated in certain areas of the region (i.e. paper-making in Fabriano, pillow lace in Offida, accordions in Castelfidardo), two of the most diverse and creative disciplines, goldsmithing and ceramic arts, can be found in abundance throughout Le Marche. While, for the most part, today's goldsmiths create fashionable modern pieces by traditional methods, ceramicists straddle the ancient and modern worlds.

Workshops in Urbania, an ancient ceramic center, are representative of the many artistic approaches. Pieces range from serious to playful; from functional to purely decorative. Some artists create reproductions of historic pieces; others reinterpret traditional designs in more modern ways; others combine modern design on traditional shapes and vice-versa.

For gift, home decor and craft gallery businesses seeking products to stand out from the competition, handicrafts produced under Le Marche's Marche Eccellenza Artigiana brand guarantee quality and the tradition of Italian craftsmanship.

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