MAKE YOUR PAIR OF SHOES

Olivia, shoe maker and designer

The beauty of a bespoke pair of shoes lies in its construction. This course offers an alchemic journey from the raw material to the finished shoe, a journey through which you will appreciate and understand the hidden beauty of creation. Thanks to slow and repetitive motions, just like a mantra, you will forget about hectic life and delve into a very special mood. The model of shoes for this hands-on workshop is a traditional unlined lace-up with Norwegian structure, but different kind of personalization are more than welcome. The process will be split in two parts: a stage will be totally directed by me and the other one will be carried out in collaboration with other professionals. This second stage consists in a 25 hours program that can be organized upon your schedule. During the module that we will have together, we will also prepare the necessary tools to work, such as leather covers for the fingers and twine for the handmade binding. I suggest you this experience if you want to dedicate some days to creativity and manual work, and it will also be a perfect occasion to enjoy the beautiful Pesaro and Urbino. I’m more than available for any kind of tips for your accommodation and I’ll be glad to suggest you the most peculiar places around the city. Since we will share the whole week together, everyday I will offer you a very special break with the best tastes that Marche has to offer!

PESARO, Pu

HOW TO MAKE A HAT

Renato, milliner

Not many people know how to make a hat, which are the steps to get to the final product, creating it by hand, with the help of a few tools, an object that will be appreciated by those who recognize the true craftsmanship. We will show you the whole process, from the wooden shape to the finished hat. The experience will last about one hour.

FIRENZE, Fi

LUTHERIE IN DOVERA

Marco, luthier

Visit is split in two parts: first of all I will show you the watermill near my lab, where there is also a rural culture museum. Then we will move to the lutherie lab, where I use to make and repair Manouche and acoustic guitars, besides all the others plucked strings instruments. I will explain you the way I work, displaying all the steps of my guitar making.

DOVERA, Cr

YOUR OWN MARQUETRY PROJECT

SANTI, ebony joiner

Is there anything more fascinating than learning the art of marquetry directly in the workshop of the Master Artisan or being able to restore an art piece while in the beautiful small town of Anghiari in the Valtiberina in Tuscany? The course will be held in my workshop where you’ll be able to get to know the tools of my trade by completing a small marquetry project or learn how to approach the restoration process of an antique piece of wooden furniture. I’ll welcome you to my shop and we’ll have Vin Santo and cantuccini while I’ll tell you about the theory regarding marquetry. Then I’ll follow you through the completion of your woodworking project that you’ll be able to bring home as a memento of this small but important experience. We can offer a translation service to English on request.

ANGHIARI, Ar

ARTISAN FOR AN HOUR

Gianpaolo, screen printer

A tour inside the discovery of screen-silk printing, a technique that allows you to experiment with colors and make a reproducible work of art while maintaining its uniqueness. The hands-on workshop takes place in the historic silkscreen laboratory of Cannaregio, in a unique and authentic Venice where art and tradition come together and come to life in the ancient crafts of the artisan workshops. Immersed in an archive consisting of more than a thousand works of art printed from 1968 to present, you will learn the secrets of the silkscreen and you will experience the printing of a one-color graphic on a support you choose among cardboard, t-shirt or canvas bag, which you'll take home as a souvenir of a creative and unusual adventure.

VENEZIA, Ve

YOUR UNIQUE JEWEL

Negar, goldsmith

Gerd Rothmann is a master goldsmith and his contribution in making the theme of unique jewel internationally recognized has been huge. The unique jewel is the one made with your fingerprint, or with that of a person we love. In this hands-on workshop we will re-elaborate this concept and you’ll be able to make your own brass jewel, under my guidance. Once in my studio, you’ll be fingerprinted and we will decide together if you are going to create a pendant or a ring. Then we will proceed with some sketches and the design before the actual realization of the jewel in wax. The experience will end with the creation of the wax jewel, after which I will send it to a specialized lab in order to brass molding it with the lost wax casting. I will then pick it up and polish it before sending it to you within 10 days after our meeting.

FIRENZE, Fi

IN THE SIGN OF

Maria Josè, restorer

Do you want to learn the techniques of the XVI century knowledge? We'll show you and tell you our manual skills in restoration, in faithful reproduction of vintage furniture, in cabinetmaking, in painting and gilding. We'll re-experience emotions, the study, the passion in doing the faithful reproduction of the “Studiolo del Duca di Montefeltro”, of which the original is located at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. We'll have lunch together in a typical restaurant of Gubbio. Later we'll go together to see the replica of the “Studiolo del Duca di Montefeltro”. We created it and now it is possible to see it in its original location, at the Doge's Palace in Gubbio. In this important context, you'll have the chance to admire other fine artifacts that we restored.

GUBBIO, Pg

CERAMIC RESTORATION

Cinzia, ceramist

The ancient or modern ceramic restoration work begins with the finding of all the fragments, the assembly with appropriate adhesives and the plaster or resin integration of the missing parts, and the reconstruction of some parts if necessary. The final stage is the pictorial reparation, which will adapt the new parts to the original color of the original piece.

SENIGALLIA, An

A DAY AT THE ATELIER

Mara, engraver

An entire day to explore the wonderful world of Japanese printing. We will spend the entire day together: from 10 am until 6 pm (with a break of one hour for lunch) and you will have the opportunity to see all the steps that go into creating your own print. After the initial phase where you will learn about the techniques and see some original prints, you will be allowed cut out your first drawing (or you can take inspiration from one of the various books we have in our studio) and create your own 3 colour print on Japanese paper. This workshop is perfect for people who want to create their own cards or presents. This experience is for beginners and people wishing to improve their techniques: in case you have former experience please contact me in advance so I can prepare myself to accommodate your needs.

AVIGLIANA, To