» The Marble and Stone Workers' Professional School

Following an old, historic tradition set by the then entitled Royal College for Stoneworking, a trade and industrial school for specialised stone masons, which was in service from 1879 to 1911, a marble craft school reopened in Laas (Lasa) at the beginning of the 1982/1983 scholastic year. The school teaches practical and theoretical skills concerning the craft of working marble to a new generation. The specialised institute works on a full-time basis and offers a three year course taking students both from Italy and, as of 1985, also other countries. Students who complete the full course with success are awarded a certificate and can then sit for the state apprentice examinations. They are awarded a second certificate if they pass these examinations and can then practice the craft of carving and, later, that of a fully-recognised, professional sculptor. The opening of this very specialised institute has helped ensure the future of Laas (Lasa) not only as a centre for marble quarrying but also as a for learning artistic craftsmanship.