4th September, 2024

A sweltering day in Venice yesterday. The lagoon offered a whisper of a breeze. We scuttled along Giudecca to Redentore in search of shade.

Venice is busy in these early days of September, the 81st film festival is in full swing on Lido. Meanwhile The Biennale continues until the end of November. Then to complete the hat trick Homo Faber opened on 1st September for a month.

Homo Faber is the new kid on the block – an exhibition of quality, artisan products from around the globe. All hand-made, beautiful, unique items; porcelain, timber, paper and human ingenuity. The name ‘homo faber’ comes from the Latin for man-makes….

Homo Faber started in 2020, financed by the Michelangelo Foundation. Its mission is to showcase the finest artisan producers in a thoroughly upmarket setting. It’s the Chelsea Design Fair and Glyndebourne rolled into one. A visual feast set in the elegant precincts of the Cini Foundation, San Giorgio Maggiore.

The Homo Faber event this year is entitled ‘The Journey through Life’. A series of rooms guides the visitor through life’s stages from Childhood, Life Celebrations, Journeys and Nature through to Dreams and the Afterlife. It’s really nicely done. Craftsmen and women are on hand making and creating original items; leather shoes, precision watches, paper sculptures, traditional globes and perfect dolls houses….

The show is a feast for the eyes.

At the end of our journey or ‘percorso’ we find ourselves overlooking the lagoon, facing out towards Lido. It’s a different perspective on Venice. In fact the Homo Faber event offers a very different perspective on Venice, a blending of old and new, in the historic setting of the Cini Foundation. It offers a curious echo of Vittorio Cini, founder of the Cini Foundation and a legendary mover and shaker of early 20th century Venice.

The event is slick and professional. There’s even a high quality restaurant on site – a pop-up for the show, it’s called ‘La Vela’. The restaurant is run by the team from ‘Local’ a very successful, Michelin-starred modern restaurant located in Salizzada dei Greci, near San Zaccaria.

Ristorante Local, Venice – Salizzada dei Greci, 3303, 30122 Venezia VE

Homo Faber runs in Venice from 01-30 September, 2024 – strongly recommended.

For truly tailor-made travel in Italy check out our web site: www.grand-tourist.com

To discover more about Homo Faber: www.homofaber.com

A NOTE ON THE AUTHOR – Janet Simmonds (nee Panagakis) is a British-born tour guide, writer and travel company owner. Born in Liverpool with a slightly Greek grand-father and a very Greek great grand-father she has a special affinity with the history, culture and art of the Mediterranean, especially Italy and Greece. She studied Geography and Art History at the Universities of Oxford and Manchester, Janet has spent most of her adult life running specialist travel companies and travelling extensively. Several times a year she leads small groups to different parts of Europe. Most recently to Venice, Naples, Trieste, Basilicata and Athens.

Her blog: www.greyhoundtrainers.com has hundreds of articles written by Janet over the last decade. There are numerous articles about Italy, The Alps, Life and the philosophy of travel. Please take a dip.

September 2024