There are still skilled craftsmen and artisans working in Venice, and I met two of them in one day.
The first is a fabbro ferraio (favro in Venetian, it seems), that is, a worker in iron, a blacksmith. I noticed his shop in a narrow calle in Castello because of his window display.
The favro is Primo Bollani, and this is his cramped workshop.
I really plead with you to look at his website, to gain some appreciation of what he has done, and is trying to achieve.
www.elferonovo.com http://www.elferonovo.com/uk/indexuk.htm (English version)
I crossed the Rialto Bridge to do some wandering in San Polo, and met another delightful, unassuming artist, Giovanni Vio. He has a tiny shop outlet on Calle de la Madoneta, 1459 to display some of the many ceramic and terracotta items he has made, and offers for sale.
Giovanni has a studio on the Lido, where he does his work, and also gives lessons to those wanting to learn this art form. He also does restoration work, a skill learned from his father and grandfather.
He is the grandson of Romano Vio, a Venetian sculptor born 100 years ago. A tribute to him is currently on in Venice, until 26 aprile.
Again, I urge you to have a look at Giovanni’s website (also available in English). www.vioartfactory.com
These two hard-working talented men (and others like them) deserve more attention (and customers); please help keep their art alive!