Discover Venice the #HomoFaberWay: A self-guided tour of Venice’s hidden crafts workshops

 

Organised by the Michelangelo Foundation, 2022 Homo Faber event showcases fine contemporary, traditional and rare craftsmanship and its link to the world of creativity and design, to promote a more human, inclusive and sustainable future.

The 2nd edition of this unprecedented international cultural event in Venice will celebrate fine craftsmanship’s “living treasures” through 15 exceptional exhibitions, craftmanship conferences and immersive digital experiences, showcasing over 400 unique works crafted by more than 350 designers and artisans from over 30 countries. It will take place from 10 April to 1 May 2022.

Discover Venice the #HomoFaberWay: Experience Venice’s creative side with Homo Faber in spring 2022

Every visitor to Venice has seen St Mark’s Square, the Doge’s Palace and the Rialto bridge. But have you visited the 18th century looms of one of the city’s oldest weaving workshops? Or watched one of the only remaining gold leaf beaters at work? Or witnessed how a gondola maker meticulously crafts one of the city’s iconic boats?

Venice is a city built on craftsmanship. Whether in its striking architecture and finely restored hotels, the exquisite staging of its opera productions and the cuisine of its top restaurants, the artisanal touch is apparent wherever you go. But away from the tourist crowds, the true charm of Venice lies in the workshops and small artisanal businesses tucked away in the city’s backstreets.

Homo Faber Event invites you to experience the lagoon city in a different way on a self-guided tour of the city’s hidden artisanal addresses through Homo Faber in Città, an immersive, city-wide addition to the main exhibition on San Giorgio Maggiore island next April.

Using the dedicated website and app, take yourself on a unique, creative journey through Venice and the surrounding region, which will open your eyes to the creativity and savoir-faire embedded within its streets.

Experience daily life in a workshop, have a go at age-old crafts, experience an exhibition and buy custom-made gifts you’ve seen being made in front of your eyes. With more than 60 artisans, manufacturers, workshops, galleries and museums taking part, there are myriad ways to experience Homo Faber in Città. Either follow one of the specially curated thematic itineraries available through the website and app, or create your own bespoke tour based on your particular desires and interests.

On your experiential tour you could:

• Delve into the backstage creative workshops of famous opera house La Fenice, where the sets are brought to life by a team of skilled master artisans, from decorative painters to woodworkers.

• Watch 18th century wooden looms being operated by skilful hands at the traditional family-run textile manufacturer Tessitura Luigi Bevilacqua, and browse the company’s exquisite soprarizzo velvets, damasks, brocades, silks and satins.

• Explore the last furnace operating with fire in Venice, Orsoni, which produces hand cut artisanal mosaics. Discover the infinite shades showcased in the colour library and marvel at each creative step required to create the ‘smalti’ (hand cut glass pieces).

• Visit the workshop of glassmaker Massimo Micheluzzi, whose eclectic body of work is inspired by the traditions of the glassmaking island of Murano and the life and history of Venice.

• See how the pastry chefs of family bakery Pasticceria Dal Nono Colussi craft the finest macaroons, baicoli (Venetian biscuits) and fugassa (Venetian fruit bread) using all natural ingredients, just as they did three generations ago.

• Enjoy a two-hour jewellery experience with Venetian native Valeria Sacchi Boncompagni, which gives you the chance to handcraft your own piece of jewellery using the lost wax casting technique.

• Learn about the glaçage leather polishing technique at the workshop of talented young shoemaker Gabriele Gmeiner, who settled in Venice from Austria to pursue her craft. Witness the art of made-to-measure shoemaking and perhaps have your own pair made.

• Understand how master tailor Franco Puppato’s work is characterised by the personal relationships he builds with his loyal following of clients and by applying the technical method of trigonometry, which allows him to create made-to-measure suits using mathematical calculations. Maybe you’ll even want to order a bespoke suit for yourself!

• Witness gondolas being made with a trip to Cantiere Nautico Crea, where master gondola makers use meticulous manual woodworking skills to bring these iconic Venetian boats to life.

• Take a boat to the island of Burano, with its colourful fisherman houses, to discover the Venetian lacemaking tradition at the workshop of Martina Vidal. Meet the few lacemakers still safeguarding this cultural heritage, browse the museum’s collection of antique laces and discover more contemporary creations at the showroom.

The Homo Faber in Città experience complements and runs concurrently with Homo Faber Event, allowing visitors the chance to fully immerse themselves in the creative delights of the capital of craftsmanship.

Venice has long been at the forefront of contemporary evolution in the arts and is a place that brings people together to exchange creative visions, making it the perfect location for this groundbreaking exhibition and cultural experience. The full programme, with details of participating artisans, ateliers, museums and galleries, will be launched in early 2022, available on homofaber.com