It is very easy to prepare opaque ceramics. The production of a fully transparent one, on the other hand, is a great challenge, as one has to eliminate all the defects and aim for perfection. I am a materials researcher working in the field of transparent ceramics and advanced oxide ceramics, their fabrication and characterization. In the past years I have focused strongly on transparent ceramics for applications in solid state lasers and on the relations between the process, the material structure and microstructure, the properties and the final performance. I strongly believe that the shaping and densifiction possibilities offered by the ceramic technology are the main asset in the path towards new tailored advanced materials.