SOME FAVOURITE ARTISANS IN VENICE (+ HOW TO DRESS LIKE A GONDOLIER!)

Hello my friend,

Venice is always a good idea. Venice in the cooler months, when the city can relax without the mega-crush of tourists, is an even better one.

Yes, it may well be misty but the haze seems to enhance the mystery and romance of this quintessentially romantic city. Yes, you may need a coat (I wore our Phoebe skirts with a leather jacket) and possibly an umbrella too but the absence of the crowds makes it well worthwhile. Moreover, the weather provides extra ‘reasons’ to indulge in regular pick-me-ups: hot chocolate at the 18th-century Caffè Florian on St Mark’s Square, tea at the Gritti Palace hotel or cicchetti (small plates) at one of the innumerable bacari (taverns) throughout the city. 

Having just returned from a brief March visit, I’d like to recommend a few favourite artisans of the floating city.  These are all small-scale enterprises – the superstars like Fortuny will be for another time (as will the lacemakers of Burano). 

In the Dorsoduro area, just by the Guggenheim Museum

Friulane aka Gondolier slippers

If you’re a fan of flats and looking for an alternative to ballet shoes and espadrilles, then I think you’ll love (if you don’t already) the classic Italian friulane. They’re a halfway house between shoes and slippers (which seems appropriate for an interior-exterior city where “shoes never wear out” as Henry James wrote). Their story, which has parallels with the history of patchwork, is another reason to cherish them. 

Friulane originated in the 19th century when impoverished peasants living in the rugged Friuli region outside Venice created shoes by layering up and binding recycled scraps of fabric, including jute sacks for transporting coffee and grains. Increasingly rubber bicycle tyres were used for the soles. Everything was stitched by hand (strictly no glue) and, for special occasions, the uppers were made of velvet and sometimes embroidered. After the Second World War, families began to sell them on the Rialto Bridge and quickly they became a hit with the gondoliers: they were comfortable, non-slip and didn’t damage the woodwork of the precious gondolas. They’ve since attracted an international following and can be found in shops world over in the original style and also as backless sliders and Mary Janes (sometimes fetching several £100s). I purchase them (at extremely reasonable prices) from Calzature Parutto who still manufacture in the traditional way and have a boutique at San Polo 390. Gondoliers wear black friulane and, traditionally, I’ve been told, only black ones should be worn at the theatre but I challenge you to restrict yourself to just one colour! Truman Capote said “Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go” and, in a similar vein, seeing a rainbow of colourful friulane feels like being a kiddie in a sweet shop.

Giuliana Longo for boaters and other hats

Giuliana Longo sells boaters, panamas and much more

Though gondoliers always wear black footwear their headwear is more varied. The silk band adorning the crown and brim of the traditional wide-brimmed straw boater is black in winter like the canopies of the private gondolas, but in summer it matches the boat’s interior. The gondoliers go-to milliner is Giuliana Longo and her diminutive shop on Calle del Lovo is my second recommendation. Her family have been in the hat business since 1901 and Guiliana herself has been running the operation since 1969. She is often to be found in the shop and is utterly delightful. In addition to being the official supplier of the gondoliers’ jaunty boaters (makers of gondoliers’ hats are called bareteri), she also sells an assortment of Venetian hats, handmade in her atelier above the shop, as well as the finest Panamas imported from Ecuador.

The Gondoliers Association of Venice/Emilio Ceccato

Now, in case you succumb to the black shoes and the boater, you may want to know more about the gondoliers’ look. Their iconic uniform consists of the boater, black shoes, a red scarf tied at the neck, a red-and-white or blue-and-white striped shirt (think Breton shirts vibe, with 1”stripes) and wide dark trousers. A silk cummerbund is permitted too. While I wouldn’t necessarily go so far as to recommend your wearing all of these together (unless you’re going to a fancy dress party), one or two of these elements can look cool. 

Since 2017, the Gondoliers Association of Venice, which represents the city’s 400+ gondoliers, has a sponsor. This is Al Duca d’Aosta, the Venetian clothing group founded by Emilio Ceccato, and together they have created a logo for the gondoliers’ clothing. The official outfits can be purchased exclusively at Emilio Ceccato’s shop at the foot of the Rialto bridge. What makes this venture particularly worthwhile is that the Gondoliers Association invests the royalties from sales of these official items in projects that support the gondolier trade and other trades around the gondola (such as oar-making). So you can support a good cause while diversifying your sartorial game. 

And …

Finally, a couple of non-textile recommendations. Firstly, Il Pavone Stamperia (The Peacock printing house), a treasure trove of marbled and wood-block printed paper at Dorsoduro 721,  just by the Guggenheim museum. It’s owned by charming and mild-mannered Fabio Pelosin who still creates the stationery at the back of his shop and, if you’re lucky, may demonstrate his craft to you there. 

Fabio Pelosin, owner and maker

at Il Pavone Stamperia

And lastly, the Osteria Alle Testiere. This tiny restaurant run by Bruno (the chef) and Luca (the sommelier) specialises in fish and shellfish. The shrimp bussara (shrimp with a cinnamon-seasoned tomato sauce), evocatively described to us as being “sensation fresh”, was delicious — indeed everything on the menu is tempting and quite exquisite. A word of warning though: once a closely-guarded secret, the Osteria’s now become well-known (drat!) so reserving well in advance is advisable. 

Et voila! I’d love to hear your recommendations too. 

Wishing you a happy week!

Ruth xx