Acquera Club presents
Hidden gems in Venice
Hotspots in Venice
In San Marco, find artisanal jewelry and tailored clothing. In Dorsoduro, discover printing, tapestries, and glass pearls. Santa Croce is known for paper, wood, and weaving arts, while San Polo offers contemporary glass and pearls. Cannaregio specializes in sustainable fashion and typography, while Castello showcases contemporary art. Explore Venice’s workshops, studios, galleries, and creative talents. With a special gathering at the elegant Contini, a special friend of Acquera Club, where only WSA guests will be able to explore the gallery featuring delightful amuse-bouches.
SANTA CROCE | CANNAREGIO | DORSODURO | SAN POLO AND RIALTO | SAN MARCO | GIUDECCA | CASTELLO | MURANO | BURANO
SANTA CROCE
Tessitura Bevilacqua
The roots of the Bevilacqua family in the world of weaving go back to 1499, when Giovanni Mansueti painted St Mark in the Synagogue and the names of the patrons appeared in the cartouches: “Giacomo Bevilacqua Weaver”. The weaving mill, located on the Grand Canal in Venice, uses looms and machinery from the ancient Silk School of the Serenissima. The boutique, which sells bags, clutches, shawls and scarves, as well as samples of fine fabrics for the home and high fashion, such as velvets, damasks, lampas, brocades and the precious Soprarizzo velvet, still handmade today, offers a private experience where history and culture come together.
CANNAREGIO
Venice M’Art
Venice M’Art is a contemporary emporium that combines an exhibition space, a shop, a restaurant, a bar and a terrace overlooking the Grand Canal on the ground floor of the Venice Hotel. A refined and original collection of exclusive personalised products, from perfumes and cosmetics to numbered works of art, as well as a flowers, books, magazines and jewellery. It is an emblem of Postvenetian sensibility, where identity and contemporaneity merge into a lifestyle.
Sullaluna
Sullaluna is a little treasure for discovering the local territory through food and books in one of the most vibrant areas of Venice. This bistrot and independent bookstore is a charming place where you can enjoy a coffee, an aperitif or a light and healty meal, prepared with products from natural and sustainable agricolture, while enjoying their selection of illustrated books and fine art prints. The small kitchen offers mainly organic food vegetarian and vegan, homemade cakes, croutons with delicious vegetables and cheeses and the Lunatico prosecco, produced by the owners in their farm on the hills of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene area, recently recognized as a Unesco Heritage Site.
Bottega del Tintoretto
The influence of Jacopo Robusti, known as Tintoretto, led to the creation of an art printing workshop equipped with hand-operated printing presses and tools recovered from ancient Venetian print shops. This studio offers creative workshops to approach the classical techniques of engraving, woodcut and lithography as well as experimental techniques developed during the 20th century. The magic of the space is unparalleled, much like the unique atmosphere of the hidden pathways of Cannaregio.
DORSODURO
Seguso Art Glass
In the heart of the Museum Mile, nestled between the Gallerie dell’Accademia and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Seguso Vetri d’Arte stands as the Venetian gallery of the historic Murano glassworks, an ambassador of the precious traditions of artistic glass. It’s the one of the oldest glassaking dynasties, whose tradition has been handed down through 23 generations since 1397. The family remains the fundamental fulcrum around which the reputation and respect for a tradition that has distinguished the Seguso dynasty is built. To cherish the past, to preserve the knowledge and to transmit the beauty become three fundamental guidelines.
Ravagnan Art Gallery
Dedicated to the world of modern and contemporary art, Ravagnan Gallery represents emerging local and international artists, with a special focus on painting and sculpture. With more than 55 years, this prestigious gallery has been distinguished for its exclusive collaborations with artists of diverse generations and nationalities, ensuring a dynamic and eclectic artistic landscape.
Marisa Convento, the Impiraressa
Marisa Convento embodies the legacy of the ‘Impiraressa,’ the Venetian artisan skilled in the delicate art of bead threading. As both artist and designer of Murano glass beads, her creations are nothing short of extraordinary. These art works are protected by UNESCO as part of the intangible heritage of history for their testament to centuries of craftsmanship. From her refined studio at the “Bottega Cini,” Marisa is dedicated to preserving and promoting this cherished tradition. Here you will also find a limited-edition perfume line of “The Merchant of Venice” as symbols of exceptional preciousness and delicate elegance, with the highest quality and design.
Le Fórcole di Saverio Pastor
Saverio Pastor is one of the last “remèr” masters in Venice, crafting the iconic oars essential for the city’s traditional boats and gondolas. This traditional craft guarantees quality and specificity, respecting the characteristics of the wood. Saverio remains faithful in preserving traditional construction methods and tools while also exploring innovative materials and approaches, ensuring the timeless art of oar-making endures into the future.
Nico’s Gelati
For over 80 years, this historic place has been delighting Venetians with its incomparable ice cream, attracting many artists and writers who have been fascinated by its unmistakable atmosphere. This artisan laboratory has created unique combinations of flavours, testimony to ancient recipes. Here the memory lives on along the Zattere promenade overlooking the Giudecca canal. The most popular speciality is the epitome of timelessness, ‘Gianduiotto’: a classic Italian chocolate ice-cream with hazelnuts drowned in a bowl of whipped cream. The creamy texture and delicate flavours create the perfect balance of sweetness.
SAN POLO AND RIALTO
The Rialto Market
A place in the heart of every Venetian, it represents the senses and tastes of tradition and everyday life with vibrancy, colours and scents. The Rialto Market, under the iconic Bridge, is a bustling trading centre where vendors display fresh seafood, fruit and aromatic spices. The ancient architecture of the market adds to its charm the captivating experience for locals and tourists alike.
SAN MARCO
Contini Art Gallery
The Contini Art Gallery is a beacon of modern and contemporary art, founded in 1979. Run by Mr Contini, together with his wife Riccarda Grasselli Contini, this prestigious gallery has gained worldwide recognition from artists and collectors including Fernando Botero, Pablo Atchugarry, Manolo Valdés, Igor Mitoraj, Robert Indiana, Julio Larraz, Robert Indiana, Michail Baryšnikov and Park Eun Sun.
Ravagnan Art Gallery
Specialising in modern and contemporary art, Ravagnan Gallery represents emerging local and international artists, particularly in the fields of painting and sculpture. With over 55 years of experience, this prestigious gallery has built an exclusive reputation for working with artists of different generations and nationalities.
Tokatzian Jewellery
This sophisticated boutique stands as a tribute to the impeccable craftsmanship and timeless appeal of fine jewellery. Every piece represents a masterpiece, meticulously fashioned to captivate and mesmerize, where precious gems create a tapestry of colours and reflections.
Nardi Jewellery
Since 1925, De Nardi jewellery has been an authentic expression of the most refined Venetian aesthetics. Each piece of jewellery is characterised by excellence and authenticity, reflecting the Venetian heritage. Its collections go beyond the status of simple ornamentation and embody the essence of elegance and culture with selected metals and precious stones. Each piece of jewellery is an expression of creativity and craftsmanship, combining tradition with innovation, bringing together classic and contemporary styles.
Valeria Boncompagni Artisan Jewellery
Research, creativity and originality are the hallmarks of Valeria Boncompagni. An exceptional artist and craftswoman, she continues her family’s goldsmithing heritage by creating jewellery. Using the ancient technique of lost wax casting, Valeria transforms precious metals into wearable sculptures, inlaid with semi-precious stones, coral flowers, gold, silver and bronze. Each piece tells a story of emotion. In her workshop in St Mark’s square, Valeria not only creates, but also teaches the art of making timeless jewellery that captures the essence of moments frozen in time.
In her boutique, Valeria hosts workshops, by appointment only, dedicated to the creation of jewelry through the lost wax technique.
In her boutique, Valeria hosts workshops, by appointment only, dedicated to the creation of jewelry through the lost wax technique.
Micromega Ottica
Following in his father’s footsteps, Roberto Carlon creates his own unique style of eyewear, moving away from the world of traditional eyewear. The project is the result of research into creating a product that is above all essential, light, resistant and, above all, the result of craftsmanship. Each pair of micromega glasses is handcrafted exclusively in the laboratory in Venice, where passionate artisans are constantly searching for extravagant shapes, innovative materials and unique styles. Thanks to an Italian and international clientele, the brand has gradually grown in importance and notoriety to include Elton John, Yoko Ono, Norman Foster, Emma Thompson and many others among its customers.
Seguso Art Glass
Seguso Vetri d’Arte stands as the Venetian gallery of the historic Murano glassworks, an ambassador of the precious traditions of artistic glass. It’s the one of the oldest glassaking dynasties, whose tradition has been handed down through 23 generations since 1397. The family remains the fundamental fulcrum around which the reputation and respect for a tradition that has distinguished the Seguso dynasty is built. To cherish the past, to preserve the knowledge and to transmit the beauty become three fundamental guidelines.
Lineadacqua
Lineadacqua gallery is an art space, located in the sestiere of San Marco. Following twenty years of experience of the Lineadacqua antiquarian bookshop, specialized in the engraving and book art of ancient Venice, this gallery aims to explore the artistic language of contemporary Venice through the eyes of local artists, giving a new space to figurative art. Lineadacqua creates a dialogue between contemporary Venetian art and the international landscape.
From the passion for ancient books was also born the lineadacqua publishing house, whose founding value is the highest quality of the products – determined at the time by choosing among a variety of the best-quality paper, bindings, inks and printing techniques. It specializes in art books and exhibition catalogues, and issues InTime, the official magazine of Venice Marco Polo airport.
From the passion for ancient books was also born the lineadacqua publishing house, whose founding value is the highest quality of the products – determined at the time by choosing among a variety of the best-quality paper, bindings, inks and printing techniques. It specializes in art books and exhibition catalogues, and issues InTime, the official magazine of Venice Marco Polo airport.
GIUDECCA
Fortuny Showroom and Factory
Founded in 1921 by Spanish artist and inventor Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo, the Fortuny brand is an icon of Italian excellence and craftsmanship.
Today, Fortuny’s mission is to spread beauty around the world, becoming an inexhaustible source of inspiration for lovers of art, design and culture.
On the island of Giudecca, in Venice, Fortuny offers the opportunity to discover the brand: guests are invited to discover the collections and collaborations in the showrooms and to explore one of the most fascinating private gardens in Venice, the perimeter of the historic factory, still active but inaccessible to the public, the cradle of a secret that has been handed down for over a century. These places open an exclusive window on a world in which art is delicately intertwined with everyday life, inviting visitors to immerse themselves in an atmosphere of enchanting Venetian style. Visitors to the estate will discover a place where time seems to have stood still: every detail tells a story of passion, innovation and inimitable craftsmanship.
Today, Fortuny’s mission is to spread beauty around the world, becoming an inexhaustible source of inspiration for lovers of art, design and culture.
On the island of Giudecca, in Venice, Fortuny offers the opportunity to discover the brand: guests are invited to discover the collections and collaborations in the showrooms and to explore one of the most fascinating private gardens in Venice, the perimeter of the historic factory, still active but inaccessible to the public, the cradle of a secret that has been handed down for over a century. These places open an exclusive window on a world in which art is delicately intertwined with everyday life, inviting visitors to immerse themselves in an atmosphere of enchanting Venetian style. Visitors to the estate will discover a place where time seems to have stood still: every detail tells a story of passion, innovation and inimitable craftsmanship.
The showroom and garden can only be visited by appointment.
CASTELLO
Acqua Alta Library
Libreria Acqua Alta is a unique bookstore in the world, where the picturesque stacks of books are placed in bathtubs and even a full-size gondola. The extraordinary setting is influenced by the Venetian floods. The ancient and unobtainable volumes are rarities to be found in a maze of books for a truly unique experience. This library embodies the idea of beauty in imperfection and has a bohemian and charming atmosphere. Every corner is a surprise, every shelf a hiding place for a literary treasure.
MURANO
La Nuova Venier Glass
Not just a glassworks, but a true excellence in the art of glass, the passion of a family and three generations. Murano glass is synonymous with creativity and craftsmanship, but also with tradition, passion and dedication. Venier is the most exclusive showroom and laboratory of the Murano glassworks, where unique pieces can be found in an incredible museum with its collections. On the island of Murano, glass is an exclusive means of expression, capable of giving form and interpretation to creativity. Even after so many centuries of rich history, inspiration still finds in this material a perfect combination to give each single object a special and inimitable magic.
BURANO
Dalla Lidia Merletti D’Arte
This iconic boutique represents a pillar of lace culture and tradition for generations as one of the oldest shop on the Burano island. It distinguishes itself for the quality of the laces, which are all traditionally hand-embroidered. Its collection is the largest and most comprehensive in the world, representing the transformations over time of what is considered a true art form. In addition, the museal gallery provides an historical journey into the origin and evolution of this skilful craftmanship.
