3 hrs 30 min, half day 2 hrs 30 min, half day tour
Venice still is a center of production of great fabrics, and during the first part of the 20th century the name of Mariano Fortuny was the best known in Europe and America. From his house, a 15th century palazzo, he designed the fabrics and the dresses who made him appreciated so vastly. In 1921 he opened a factory in the Giudecca still active today and producing his original work.
In this tour we’ll visit first Mariano’s residence, the Palazzo Pesaro, the name of the noble Venetian family who owned it firstly. Visitors will have then the chance to enter and see one of the greatest examples of 15th century domestic architecture ever built. Inside the building, often used as a venue for temporary art exhibits, many works of Fortuny are on display, his paintings, photographs, lamps and fashion products including dresses and fabric samples.
Later on we’ll reach the Fortuny factory… Due to the lack of space in his original mansion because of the increasing demand for his beautiful fabrics and garments, the artist moved to new larger production premises outside the main city centre. The increase of price and scarcity of silk the material he like to work with, persuaded him to experiment with a more easy available material – cotton. During our stay at the Giudecca we’ll see samples of the Fortuny’s present production and spend time in the beautiful gardens, best time to see the full flowering is the month of May.
