THE SECRETS OF THE GOLDSMITH CRAFT

DANIELA, goldsmith workshop

At Ponte Vecchio's Casa dell'Orafo, in a location with a strong Renaissance touch, in the same monastery where the Medici family wanted to bring together the Florentine goldsmiths. Between mergers of gold and pure silver, crucibles, cuttlefish and chisels, we will show you some of the secrets of the 'Florentine goldsmith's art in a simple and original space, creating with our guidance the thin rings of a hammered chain, as it happened over 2,000 years ago. We will try to hand down the passion, the art and tradition, the creativity of Florence, the industriousness of its people, the history that has made this city and made it unique in the centuries. A simple, authentic and original location, a place that has not changed over the years in the furnishings and tools which, as in ancient times, are used to create and restore jewelry and art objects. The artisan tradition, the restoration and creation of jewelry are the core of our business. A heritage that fascinates and it's renewed everytime.

FIRENZE, Fi

YOUR HAND-SEWN BOOK

Paola, bookbinder and restorer

This experience is for those who want to take a trip inside the magic world of bookbinding. You will discover the whole lab, the machineries and the working tools, but most of all I will tell you how they work and how a book is made. After this tour we will put our aprons on and start working in order to create your own hand-sewn book. You will decide how to make your book cover by choosing the material and I will teach you how to create a book only with needle and thread so that you’ll be able to do that. We will create together the structure of the book and the cover that can be personalized even with a golden engraving (yes, I will also show you how hot foil stamping is made!) The final work will then be a unique book to bring home with you as a keepsake of our experience together.

TORINO, To

THE WOOD: TECHNIQUES AND DESIGN

Giacomo, ebony joiner

The experience consists in taking direcly part in a workshop of cabinetmaking and design. Visitors can try out tools and traditional techniques. It will address the design, planning and execution. There will be practical experiences as the realization of an interlocking or the squaring of pieces with hand instruments. The workshop continues in the afternoon and a wonderful lunch will be cooked and eaten in the laboratory!

VITERBO, Vt

YOUR BESPOKE JUTE HAT

Carlotta, milliner

To open the doors of a workshop means to unveil the most intimate secrets of a craftsman. A small world in which ideas are shaped by the most valuable tool that we have, our hands. And this will be our starting point. Through a tactile experience we will understand how to identify the key features of different fabrics. In particular we will analyze the potential of jute, a natural fiber, 100% biodegradable and recyclable, lightweight, durable and very malleable. Together we will explore this amazing malleability and we will discover how to create a unique and precious object with a material which is considered "poor". Every participant will challenge his creativity producing a bespoke hat. Starting with an off-cut of jute you can choose to work with a base-made pattern or to adopt a fully-manual technique like the Moulage. Both methods will be explained and shown during the workshop. The experience will last the whole day, from the morning until the afternoon. Timing are flexible, I will do what I can to meet your personal needs and requests. A buffet - lunch is scheduled on the fresh porch facing a wide garden.

VERBANIA, Vb

YOUR SPECIAL MOSAIC

Matteo, mosaic maker

What better than your name can identify you? Decorate with a mosaic the initial of your name or of the person you want to give it to. Imagine the letter of your name with a mosaic part in it. You can use it to furnish an old dresser, a shelf, or any other place to bring your personality. In fact in this workshop you can decide the decoration and the color of the tiles. These will be used to fill up with a mosaic the etched space in the wooden letter. Later I'll show you how the marbles, stone-paste and gold leaf tiles are cut. We'll see how to lay the glue down and how to position the tiles to create the decoration of your personal letter. Of course, once the object will be finished, you can bring it back home with you. The only things I ask you is to tell me the chosen letter, so that you can find it ready to be decorated. Moreover you can choose between the blue or dove-grey color to paint the letter yourself. The workshop will last about 2/2.5 hours.

PARABITA, Le

MURALES | WORKSHOP & APERITIVO

Monica, pottery designer and maker

Obiettivo del corso sarà la pittura a calce viva con pigmenti naturali di un vaso in calcestruzzo romano. L’artista Monica Bispo rende attuale l’antica tecnica di costruzione romana applicandola a vasi che non hanno bisogno di essere cotti. Ogni partecipante riceverà una pianta da inserire nel vaso creato.

CARPENEDOLO, Bs

LEATHER CLASS

Giuseppe, leather craftsman

During this experience you'll be able to create 4 small leather or fabric goods, such as frames for your photos or a hard cover for your personal planner. You can choose the type and color of material to work with and, under our guidance, you will learn all the steps for the realization of the products that you will bring home as a memory of the experience. The workshop will end up with a dinner based on pizza, cooked in a wood oven at the craftsman's house.

GUBBIO, Pg

SCAGLIOLA, BETWEEN ILLUSION AND REALITY

Elisabetta & Alessandro, scagliola

We will tell you about the history and the state of art of this ancient, and somehow "lost" craft, showing you some secrets and some stylistic and technical aspects. Starting from a "simple mineral dust", with a practical exhibition we will took you back in time, when the ability and skills of the craftsman began with the preparation of the tools, the sketches and the color pigments. The realized artwork remains yours. Finally we will discuss together about the most important existing collection, with the practical support of some antique pieces, dating from the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, collected with great passion by our family.

PONTASSIEVE, Fi

THE WOOL PRODUCTION CHAIN

Lucia, felt maker

This full working day will be a complete focus on the wool production chain. I will tell and show you how raw wool is carded, colored and wired. We will try two different technique to card the wool and then you'll be introduced to the coloration stage, starting with the extraction of the color itself from seasonal natural materials (such as onion's peel and walnut's husk) and ending with the dyeing of the fleece. We will then have a lunch break in the lab before going on testing the wool spinning.

PERGINE VALSUGANA, Tn