• Campo San Giacomo - The tour begins in the heart of Venice, in front of a church believed to be the oldest in the city.
• Mercato del Pesce al Minuto - The Rialto market in Venice is bustling, authentic, and filled with genuine Venetian life. Fish is beautifully displayed on stalls covered with thick layers of crushed ice, while seagulls roam among the fishmongers announcing the day’s catch. Locals purposefully browse the stalls in the “Pescheria,” as generations of Venetians have done for the past 800 years.
• San Polo - A visit to a local artisan reveals traditional rural products crafted using typical materials and techniques that have been lost in industrial production. These products are associated with values and traditions like spending time with loved ones, preparing and celebrating food, drink, and events at home. The ceramics, made in Italy, feature bright colors, lively patterns, and quality materials, handcrafted in a time-honored manner to create a rustic, warm, refined, elegant, yet informal atmosphere.
• Ponte di Rialto - The next stop is a traditional shoe shop. The necessity and ability to utilize available resources, born from the deep connection between humans and nature, combined with an advanced culture of recycling, address today’s ecological challenges. Old bicycle tires are used as waterproof, durable soles; jute sack canvases, used for transporting seeds and grains, are transformed into excellent linings; and fabrics, even old clothing rags, are turned into uppers. Necessity becomes virtue. These shoes are crafted in the traditional way, with new generations of shoe-slippers like the “Veneziane,” inspired by the 18th-century splendor of the Serenissima Republic, adorned with velvet or bright oriental silks, all guaranteed hand-sewn. This craftsmanship is passed down through generations and is already looking to the future.
• Campo Manin - Giuliana, a local stylist, has a small shop filled with hats: Panama hats, gondolier’s hats, carnival hats, waterproof hats, woolly hats, and even wedding hats! Since 1980, Giuliana has imported her Panama hats directly from Ecuador. The shop is officially recognized as a historic place in the Veneto Region.
• Campo Santo Stefano - A meeting with a “maestro marmorizzatore,” a master papermaker, is next. In Italian, “maestro” means expert or teacher, and Venetians use it respectfully when greeting an elderly person (buon giorno maestro!). This maestro specializes in ancient paper techniques that are revived in this Venice production. This magical city, suspended between sky and water, a crossroads of different cultures, and the northern gateway to the Orient, has inspired this shop. The Lagoon’s water takes on shades of colors at different times of the day, which only these techniques can reproduce. Some remarkable works include fascinating sheets of paper with floral themes (tulips, roses, and trees). Absolutely unique is the series of smiling fish: captured in the liquid element, they are petrified on paper as if embedded in primordial seas.
• Chiesa di San Salvador - In the heart of Venice, between Rialto Bridge and St. Marco Square, a couple of artists have, since 2007, encouraged an intimate relationship between objects and viewers in their precious and cozy atelier. Visitors can admire rare collections of original sculptures and jewelry, a world of delicate glass flowers, dreamlike shapes of cut iron, reborn trees from wood, nomadic landscapes, and sights from the abyss.
• Ponte di Rialto - A visit to a shop producing jewelry in Murano glass follows, where pieces are crafted entirely by hand using the most refined Venetian techniques. All the beads are handmade by small local workshops with years of proven experience in Murano glass making, glass blowing, and lamp-working techniques.
• Cannaregio - The tour concludes with a visit to a textile company producing fine fabrics for furnishings and high fashion: velvets, damasks, lampases, brocatelles, and the special “soprarizzo” velvet, which is still handmade. All fabrics are created using ancient techniques and skills: “soprarizzo” production, for instance, is still carried out on 18th-century looms that once belonged to the silk guild of the Republic of Venice.

• Licensed Tour Guide

• gratuities

Explore charming botteghe and quaint shops to discover artisanal souvenirs and items that are 100% made in Italy. Enjoy learning about the history of these businesses, often founded by family members who have lovingly passed down their skills and passion for their craft. Venice, renowned as a city of art, has long been celebrated for its artisan excellence and creative flair. For over a millennium, the skilled hands of Venetian craftsmen have been producing exquisite and refined items such as mosaics, glassware, fabrics, jewelry, and perfumes. Today, Venice continues to be a hub of ancient expertise that is unmatched anywhere else in the world. Innovative boutiques and concept stores sit alongside artisan studios, where masterpieces in glass, pearl, gold, paper, and leather are crafted. There are also ateliers for historic masks and costumes, artistic kilns, antique tailoring and weaving workshops, woodworking shops, and printing studios, as well as graphic design studios offering unique products.

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.