Venice, being the tourist mecca that it is, has no end of nick-nacks and gee-gaws for the crowds to throw their money at. Some are good quality items made by local artists and artisans, but for the most part the well-stocked stalls are flogging mass-produced junk. However, among all the crafters of jewellery, glassware, sculpture and leather goods, there are some that stand out.
One is Antonio at Ottica In Barberia. Sitting at his workbench in the window of a small shop half way between Rialto and San Marco, he meticulously hand crafts extravagant spectacle frames from acrylic or horn. It’s quite fascinating to watch him go through the myriad fiddly steps required to arrive at the finished product. With his full sleeve tatts and extravagant beard, he puts on quite a show.
On a more traditional and subdued note, remer Paolo Brandoliso’s workshop is tucked away in a small side street in the Castello sestiere. The remer is a craftsman who specializes in making and repairing oars and forcolas, the curiously shaped oar locks essential to the Venetian style of rowing. Each forcola is an artistic sculpture in wood, customized to the physique and particular rowing style of the owner. Without a power tool in sight, he goes about his craft with the effortless grace developed over forty years at the same site.
One flashy, one subdued, two completely different crafts, but both executed with consummate skill.
