Nove and the Trip Home

On our last day in Italy we decided to take it easy. The kids had been great on our trip to Venice, and we were headed home early the next day.  We knew the kids wanted to just hang out and play.  So Diane and I saw this a great chance to go the town of Nove.  Nove is a town in Italy where a lot of the pottery for Pottery Barn, Linux, Crate & Barrel, ect is made and exported.  You can actually going into the factories where they make all the stuff and buy it at a fraction of the cost you would get it for in the States.

Diane took me to this great place called Larry's.  He makes all the pottery in his shop by hand and hand paints everything, because of this you can get anything personalized.  So you know I had to order some stuff from Larry's.  Diane so kindly offered to go back and pick it up for me when it was finished.  She even took some pictures of it for me to drool over until we see each other again. All the items I bought reminded me of Italy and I think they are great and useful souvenirs from our trip.

The Pasta bowl. I got five matching smaller bowls to go with it.

The outside of the bowl.

 

The pitcher .

This is a Diane's Olive Oil set.  Mine looks like hers.  She forgot to pick mine up. I think it is just an excuse to go back!

 

The next shop we went to is one of the ones that makes stuff for Tiffany's and Lennox.  To get to the store you have enter through the factor. It was amazing to see  it.  They were packing stuff for export to the States.  More on the factory in a bit. 

The store was amazing and overwhelming.  There was so much to see and take in. It was amazing to pick up a piece of pottery and see it was stamped Tiffany's on the bottom and it cost a fraction of what you would pay at the store.  Of course I found the new dinnerware I want! I did control myself and did not buy it. I do plan on going back and buying it. 

This is the set I want, minus the rooster.

Diane and I were able to walk through the factor as we left.  It was so neat to see the people at work creating the pottery.  They hand paint everything.  No mass production going on at these places.  I also got to use my first hole in the floor potty! JOY......not!

Here are some shots of the factory from the outside. 

 

This entry could not end without some sort of adventure right?  Really, what kind of trip would it have been without something happening!  Diane and I were headed back home after one last stop at another pottery shop.  Alex (Diane's oldest daughter) called to tell us the buses had stopped running due to a transit strike, and she was stuck.  Diane had me call the guys to let them know and make sure Alex could get home. While we were worried about this, we get pulled over by the Carabinieri.  I see these guys standing on the side of the road pulling us over and I get off the phone. They don't look too friendly. They come up to the van and talk to Diane.  She tells them she does not speak Italian and they take all of her paperwork. There are two of them at the window.  The one in the back just looked mean.  After they walk off with Diane's paperwork, I tell her "He is kind of scary" and that is when I notice he has his machine gun pointed at us. He really looked like it would make is day to use it.  They let us and our pottery go with a ticket.  Diane and I had a good laugh over the whole thing.  Just another adventure to add to the ones we have had over the years together and the ones we will have.

There is not really much to tell about the trip home. I just wanted to share pictures of the beautiful landscape. I love Austria and would move there in a heart beat.

The castle from the other side of the tunnel.

A picture of a painting on a bathroom door at a restaurant.