Nove: Ceramics History and Waterways

If you’re looking for hotels in Nove, its ceramics tradition offers a concrete thematic starting point for choosing your destination. It shapes local history, museum collections and today’s course offerings. The different ways to explore it range from historical origins and technical waterways to working with clay and glaze. When planning your trip, consider whether you’re more interested in the history of the collections, historical production or creating something yourself.

The Ceramics Tradition and Its Origins

The local ceramics tradition began in the mid-17th century with the Manardi family. It is associated with sand, gravel and quartz from the Brenta River, as well as red earth from the nearby hills. Its history therefore encompasses both a point of origin in time and natural materials connected with Nove and its ceramics.

Museum and Architectural History

The Museo Civico della Ceramica opened in 1995 in the former Regia Scuola d’Arte building. Its 20th-century ceramics section contains pieces awarded prizes at the Salone Internazionale della Ceramica competitions in Vicenza from 1949 to 1975. One highlighted object is a large vase by Pablo Picasso from 1950. The competition pieces span several decades, while the vase marks a single, specifically dated highlight in the collection.

A building constructed in the 18th century served as the residence of Giovanni Maria Baccin and as Nove’s first school; today, it is a library museum. The Antonibon complex also includes a 19th-century kiln. These places point to different aspects of the town’s history: the changing uses of a building and the technical side of ceramics production.

Waterways and Audio Tour

The waterways are also part of the history of ceramics in Nove. The oldest canal in the town’s layout dates back to a waterway structure already mentioned in 14th-century documents. It provided water power for mills and their machinery used to mix and prepare ceramic clay and glazes. This connects the waterway with specific steps in ceramics production.

The Museo Diffuso offers a free audio tour that guides visitors by smartphone through the streets and along Nove’s waterways. This provides a way to explore the town’s layout and waterways, alongside viewing pieces in the collections.

Experience Ceramics for Yourself

Nove+ offers ceramics courses for beginners as well as special options for more experienced participants. In a group pottery-wheel class, participants can make a cylinder from red clay, finished with white glaze. The workshops cover specific topics in ceramic modeling or decoration, last two hours and are limited to a maximum of six participants. If you’d like to include a course in your trip plans, check the specific date in advance.

As part of the Nove Terra di Ceramica program, visitors can take part in ceramics workshops and experience experimental wood firings of ceramics. This adds further ways to engage with ceramic work to the courses on offer. If you’d like to plan one of these activities, confirm a suitable date in advance.

The museum collection, historic waterways and hands-on activities offer different perspectives on Nove’s ceramics tradition: through objects and architectural history, the technical role of water, or working with clay and glaze yourself.

Discover more destinations: Recoaro Terme, Campiglia Dei Berici, Valstagna, San Floriano, Valdagno, Lusiana, Sovizzo, Canove di Roana.

For the broader travel overview: Vicenza.