Altare

Altare (, , L’Atæ in local dialect) is a "comune" (municipality) in the Province of Savona in the Italian region Liguria, located about west of Genoa and about northwest of Savona. As of 1 January 2009, it had a population of 2,160 and an area of .
Altare borders the following municipalities: Cairo Montenotte, Carcare, Mallare, Quiliano, and Savona.
Geography.
Altare is just west of the Cadibona pass, which at divides the Ligurian Alps from the Ligurian Apennines. Also called pass of Altare, it is accessed from the coast by the "Via Nazionale Piemonte", winding up from Savona and crossing into Piedmont towards the north Italian plain.
History.
Altare was home to an ancient glassmaking tradition, dating back to the Middle Ages. The origin of Altare glassworks is still unknown. Oral tradition has it that the art was spread from Northern France by Benedectine monks. Samuel Kurinsky posits that the original glassmakers were Sephardic Jews, based on the secretive character of their techniques and the distinct identity of the glassmakers as opposed to the rest of the population. If that is the case, they were completely assimilated, except for their traditional self-distinction. 
Altarist glassmakers were organized in guilds, not unlike other medieval craftsmen. The guild, known as the University maintained a very strict control over the glassmakers' techniques. Unlike the Venetians though, Altare was a net exporter of know-how throughout its history, as the local guild was never able to prevent the migration of its people to other places. Sometimes it even encouraged it. The importance of Altare revolves around this difference. For example, it appears that Giobatta Da Costa's invention of flint glass took place in London, while he worked for the Ravenscroft manufactory in 1674. Altarist glassmakers operated in France, at Olréans and Nevers and one of them, Bernard Perrot went on to become master of the in Orléans, after patenting many innovative techniques. The Museum of Glass in Villa Rosa at Altare preserves many pieces of fine glass produced during this tradition.