By LEAH WEATHERSBY

It could be said that Rosanna Bowles' career started in Italy and has ended up in Northeast Seattle's Ravenna neighborhood, where she runs a store called Rosanna.

That's a long distance for a businesswoman to cover, but not a surprising one if that woman happens to be a designer of dishes. According to Bowles, when is comes to ceramics, all roads lead to Umbria, nestled in the central of the Italian landscape. That must have been especially true for Bowles who has a bachelor's degree in fine arts and a master's degree in Italian literature.

"I had this very esoteric degree and nothing to go with it," recalled Bowles, who moved to Seattle from Portland in 1980 after earning her graduate degree.

Having studied in Italy, Bowles started using her knowledge of that country by working as cultural liaison for businesses who had dealings with that part of the world. She also taught Italian.

In 1982, Bowles decided to embark on a career that would meld her interest in art and European culture. Being the daughter of two former housewares sales reps, Bowles' decision to start designing and wholesaling dinnerware (defined as anything you set the table with other than the linens) wasn't a surprise. She named her new venture Rosanna and traveled to Italy, working closely with manufacturers there to design her first line of dishes which she brought back and stored in her house.

Bowles' business grew quickly, however, and after the first year she was able to move to a warehouse space on the parcel of land where Safeco Field stands today. (She now has another warehouse in south Seattle.)

Her wholesale business also got some big name clients such as Pottery Barn, Sak's Fifth Avenue and Target. Her dishes have been featured in magazines, including Better Homes & Gardens to Metropolitan Home.

Bowles not only found a career in Italy, she also found love. Several years ago, she married Mimmo Rosati, an Italian businessman who had been one of her suppliers. Rosati now acts as business manager for Rosanna, which can be a big help when so much of the firm's work deals with his native country.

But with the dinnerware industry becoming more crowded and competitive every year, Bowles said it takes more than business acumen and an eye for design to survive - it also takes the ability to spot new trends in the market.

"To be a trend person is different than to be an artist," Bowles said. "You have to be really sensitive to your environment."

Now Bowles is hoping that just as Italian dinnerware has become better-known over the last two decades, the Ravenna-Bryant neighborhood will become more recognized as a shopping district. Bowles opened a retail shop there, called Rosanna, two Christmases ago in a converted gas station. The store, located at 6855 35th Ave. NE, displays Bowles' dinnerware along with other housewares and gifts.

"It's a desire I had to express myself as a designer," said Bowles, explaining why she decided to open the shop. She added that like clothing designers, housewares makers are starting to open retail spaces of their own where they can show off their products the way they chose. "That's why I wanted to open this store - it makes a total statement."

Bowles, a Laurelhurst resident, said she chose the Ravenna location for Rosanna both to be near her home and in hopes of picking up some of the traffic generated by the University Village shopping center. While she acknowledges that right now, her location is a little off the beaten-path for retail shopping, Bowles said that she hopes the quality of her work will draw people to her store in the end.

"It's going to be a building process," Bowles said. But added, eating off nice dishes and having nice things around you - those are the simple pleasures of life."