Realizing this was Confartigianato Veneto itself, the promoter of the portal www.discoveringartigianato.com: a site in Italian and English that combines the discovery of these companies and the products of Veneto’s crafts with that of the region’s cities of art and natural beauty. One can follow itineraries subdivided according to province-a somewhat “meager” route to tell the truth, suffice it to say that for the province of Treviso only Asolo is presented, while the page for the province of Rovigo is even empty-while more interesting is to follow the thematic routes along the four lines of art, nature, taste, and services. These range from the wood road-a route in the province of Belluno that starts from the wood school and connects several companies and the “Woodworm Museum”-to “Colors, Stories and Emotions of Venice”-a journey to discover the workshops in the Castello district.
Among the most curious and innovative experiences, however, is Italian Stories: a web platform based in Riva del Garda, launched in January 2015 on the idea of Eleonora Odorizzi and Andrea Miserocchi. “We often hear that food, tourism, fashion and design are our true natural resources,” Odorizzi explains, “but then finding ways to convey, protect and enhance this treasure is not so easy. Since we are designers and we love digital, we began to imagine how it would be possible to enhance quality craftsmanship through storytelling, and at the same time give tourists and enthusiasts the chance to have real experiences. This is in a logic of promoting new forms of experiential tourism that can support the local production chain.”
The principle, in itself, is simple: an artisan offers what is calledan “experience”-from a simple guided tour of the workshop, to the chance to touch the craft by trying his hand at modeling a ceramic pot, for example. On the site you can view the various experiences and book your own visit or workshop-even to give as a gift to a friend-by searching by geographic location or by type of craft. And there is something for everyone: if you don’t know how a pipefitter works, or are curious to try gilding a wooden object, this is the site for you. Italian stories also handles payment, acting as a liaison between the parties at all stages. “Of course, before the platform was online, it was not easy to explain what we intended to do,” the co-founder recalls. “Some artisans had difficulty understanding that we are interested in shifting the focus from the material to the immaterial value of their business, and making them understand that they can also benefit economically from this. Rereading yourself with new paradigms is not easy, especially if until now you have focused your craft exclusively on production and not on your experience. For younger artisans this process is much easier and instinctive.”
There are so far 54 participating stores throughout Italy, including 25 in the Venezie; and the goal is to reach 100 within the first year of operation. “There are already another 20 or so artisans,” Odorizzi in fact assures, “with whom we are completing the process of building the profile and experience. We are in fact a go-between and put the artisans, who independently propose experiences, in direct contact with travelers, taking care of their presentation and image and creating a useful network so that the proposal is not broken up in the various regional or local portals.” Although it is in a phase that the founder calls “testing,” the results portend interesting future developments: “To date we have sold about 200 experiences to both Italian and foreign travelers,” she reports, “who have also left a good number of excellent reviews visible directly on the profiles of individual artisans. In addition, Odorizzi concludes, “We are now activating partnerships with entities and foundations that deal with crafts, so as to contact artisans who have already been selected; in addition, we have developed a network of storyfinders throughout the country that supports us both for scouting and verification, and above all to be able to give a quality image to all the artisans who are on the platform. “DI C.A.
