Artisan Specialities
Your Venice souvenirs may be hard to describe back home without sounding like you’re bragging. ‘It’s an original', you’ll say, ‘and I met the artisan.’ Venice has kept its artisan traditions alive and vital for centuries, especially glass, paper, textiles and woodworking.
Studio Visits
For your travelling companions who aren’t sold on shopping, here’s a convincing argument: in Venice, it really is an educational experience. In backstreet artisan studios, you can watch ancient techniques used to make strikingly modern carta memorizzata (marbled-paper) travel journals and Murano glass waterfalls worn as necklaces. Studios cluster together, so to find unique pieces, just wander key artisan areas: San Polo around Calle Seconda dei Saoneri; Santa Croce around Campo Santa Maria Mater Domini; San Marco along Frezzeria and Calle de la Botteghe; Castello along Barbaria de le Tole; Cannaregio along Fondamenta dei Ormesini; Dorsoduro around the Peggy Guggenheim Collection; and Murano.
Glass showrooms and shelves of fragile handicrafts may be labelled non toccare (don't touch) – instead of chancing breakage, just ask to see any piece. The person who shows it to you may be the artisan who made it, so don't be shy about saying 'Complimenti!' (my compliments!).