Top Venice Craft Classes

Take a course on mask making from a master artisan in Venice, and learn about the history of this ancient tradition. You can choose from a production class or a decoration class, or you can even take both. In the production class, learn how to make your own papier-mâché mask, and in the decoration class, you can paint or use materials to decorate your mask. No matter which option you choose, you get to bring home your creation—just in time for Carnival.

Get hands-on experience with one-to-one guidance during a private glassmaking lesson. Discover the secrets of Murano glassmaking techniques from one of the most renowned craftsmen of Venice. The 90-minute workshop includes all materials—including your own marvelous glass artwork to take home—plus a 10 percent discount on glassworks from the artist.

Venetian masks have a long and storied history: during the republic’s heyday, they were used to conceal the identities of residents who engaged in decadent activities. In their masks, peasants and noblemen were equal. Make your own Venetian mask (yours to keep), adorned with sequins, ribbons, and other fineries, under the tutelage of a local artist. All materials are provided.

Fallani Venezia is a craft laboratory of artistic serigraphy, active since 1968 in the heart of the city of Venice. Print high quality editions, making available their technical expertise and sensitivity, managing to interpret and translate into graphics the different expressive languages of painters, sculptors, photographers, illustrators, street artists, graphic designers and designers. Gianpaolo Fallani inherits the passion for screen-printing from his father Fiorenzo, who has collaborated with over 200 artists from all over the world and for whom he has made more than 1000 editions. Commission-based printing continues, also offering workshops and residences of various levels that invite the artist to learn about and experience the versatility and potential of this printing technique. In 2018 Gianpaolo received the recognition of MAM Maestro d'Arte and Mestiere and participated in Doppia Firma and Homo Faber.

Get prepared for a trip to Venice ahead of time or just soak in the city’s history during this live, virtual experience led by a Venice local. Your guide teaches you about the past and present of Venice as you hear about what it’s like to live in the City of Canals. Plus, since this experience runs in real time, you can interact with your guide just like you would if you were to meet in person.

For this private mask-decorating workshop in Venice, arrive at a traditional atelier, and get a blank sand-colored mask that’s ready for your artist eye. Use feathers, sequins, and other materials to make a masterpiece. Your guide will share facts about the history of mask making and can also show you some great techniques to use. Afterward, you’ll get to bring home your decorated mask.

Get ready to discover the Murano island, witnessing artistry in action in its glass factories, experiencing the lampwork tradition by creating your own Venetian bead and visiting the Byzantine-style 12th century mosaics of its churches. You will have a personal glass lampwork workshop, in which you will create your own Venetian bead, keeping alive a 17th century artistic practice. We will visit the oldest glass factory in the world active since 1295 and see how tradition is combined with contemporary design and creativity. We will stroll around Murano, discovering some hidden gems like its churches and walking through off-the-beaten paths.

Meet a local mask artisan in Venice. Enter his atelier and learn all about this traditional Venetian craft. He will teach you how to create your own original maks.

The ABC course is equally suitable for all ages. Thanks to the various decorative techniques available, children can independently participate from 4 years upwards. Adults can experiment with different types of professional decorations.

Amazing experience with Piero Dri, one of the few artisans that still creates the famous gondola’s Forcola: a type of rowlock used by the gondolier to move the special boat along the waterways and the Canal Grande. Each fórcola is a unique piece since it is specifically designed for its personal gondolier according to his height and rowing needs. Meet Piero in his workshop in the heart of Venice (5 minutes from Rialto Bridge) and starts the lesson where he’ll show all the procedure to create this magic item: from the beginning to the end. During the experience he will narrate history, secrets and legends of gondolas and the Venetian gondoliers! In front of your eyes the master artisan creates this unique Venetian artwork that has the actual shape after centuries of experimentation A unique experience to live Venice as a local discovering the legendary art of making a Forcola.

A unique experience that combines art and craftsmanship, in a laboratory that in over fifty years of activity has created over a thousand different graphics, working with over 250 artists from all over the world.

Live the experience … turn yourself into a “mascarer” and create your own mask! Our workshop will allow you to take home your own creation. The charm of the paper to cut and shape inside the ancient stone molds. The expert craftsman who guides you and helps you to turn simple pieces of paper into a mask. Enjoy the magic of handmade creation. We will teach you to decorate your mask using the techniques and materials we use too. Your base of true paper mache will become your masterpiece. You will use fabric, colors, svarowski crystals, gold leaf, feathers. … Two hours of pure magic to give you the satisfaction to say…”I’ve made it !!! The Creation of the mask wiull be done in two days. In the first one you will create your mask in two hours of time. The next day you will decorate it in others two hours of time!

–Create your papier mache mask with a professional. - Take out your mask and refine the details. - Choose one of the many decoration techniques available. - Decorate your mask in a traditional way or personalize it with feathers, rhinestones and other materials. - Your mask is finished and you can take it away immediately.

Frittelle are the most famous dolci or sweets of Venice Carnival. Frittelle come in a variety of styles, both filled and unfilled. The very traditional “Veneziana” has no filling, but just raisins and pine nuts mixed into the fairly heavy dough. After frying, the frittelle are rolled in granulated sugar. Frittelle are followed closely in popularity by galani: puff pastries made of eggs, flour, sugar and butter that are cut in stripes and fried in boiling oil. At the end of the cooking, when they are crispy, they are dried and covered with powdered sugar. Frittelle and galani begin showing up everywhere during the weeks leading up to Carnival. When Carnival is over, frittelle and galani disappear from the store windows as quick as a flash. So the rule is: grab frittelle and galani when they are available or learn how to cook them yourself! BUT Carnival is much more: it is also masks. So why don’t you paint your own after all this hard cooking and eating work?

During this 2-hours class you will choose 2 models among the 43 white masks handmade in papier-maché and start to decorate them using one of the 7 different techniques that can be normally used. The masks’ decorations can be changed over and over, with the masters’ help, until you’ll reach the desired results.

The course will take place like this: - Choose a model among the many available. - Build your Venetian papier-mâché mask step by step under the expert guidance of a professional. - Wait a few minutes for the mask to dry (thanks to our innovative technique). - Take your new papier-mâché mask out of the mold! - A few small tweaks and your mask is ready to be taken home or decorated.