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Clay
making pottery is a craft whose roots are lost in times
immemorial. If sixty or seventy years ago pottery making
was considered a profession, nowadays it is a craft practiced
only by three men who master its special techniques.
The craftsman selects special clay, brings it home, crumbles
and kneads it and by using the potter's wheel gives it the
chosen shape. After applying specific patterns of regional
design, the object is laid to burn in clay ovens, also built
by the potter.
In the old times there used to be entire villages of potters;
the craft was handed from one generation to the other. The
pots were loaded into carts and the potters traveled to
neighbouring villages and even farther away, where they
traded them for corn, wheat, or household tools.
Once cheap plastic pots were produced, the traditional ones
lost customer appeal; recently, they are much more appreciated
by tourists for their originality and exotic patterns. |
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