One of the most fascinating ateliers in the Lagoon, where the artist Michela Bortolozzi creates wonderful objects, such as her famous candles, inspired by the Gothic Byzantine Venice and shaped through the lights of its churches, the metals of its latest artistic foundry, and the wood of the gondolas, inviting us to understand and preserve the beauty of the city.
Entering Michela’s world, in a small street in Cannaregio, you are enchanted by the color and shapes that recall the symbols of Venice, such as the decorations of Palazzo Ducale or Ca’ d’Oro.
But if you look closely at some of the objects on display – such as candles, soaps, wax crayons, and lollipops – you notice that they are all made of materials that, if used, make the object disappear.
So, should you use them or keep them?
Through my work, I love to highlight the rich history of Venice, while contributing to its future in a sustainable and meaningful way.
(Michela Bortolozzi)
A metaphor that has become the essence of the Relight Venice project: a homage to the city, but also to the reflection on what we want to be: “Who consumes Beauty or who loves and protects it?”.
After graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts, Michela Bortolozzi traveled to Palestine, South Africa, and Morocco, where she obtained a Master’s in Sustainable Design, collaborating with local artisans and designers and learning creative techniques for working with different materials.
In 2020 Michela returned to live in the Lagoon and gave life to Relight Venice which, through sustainable and artisanal processes, shapes objects and jewels that embody the soul of Venice, blending elegance and meaning, to “restore” light to the city.
If we were in the 19th century, the Relight Venice atelier would certainly be a stop on the Grand Tour, the famous educational journey through Europe of the elite of the time who competed to buy objects from the best artists and artisans of each place they visited to have a memento of the trip, but also to support the local culture. The word souvenir derives, in fact, from the Latin subvenire, meaning “to come to help”.
This is exactly the spirit with which you should stop by the Relight Venice atelier, to help protect Venice, as well as take home a “piece” of its Great Beauty.
Literally, because every object created by Michela truly brings with it a piece of Venice. The candles, for example, are made with candles recovered from its churches, then colored, melted and inserted into hand-made molds on which are then mounted wooden bases recovered from the processing of gondolas’ forcola (oarlock) and brass stick from the Fonderia Valese, the last remaining artistic foundry in the city.
A vision that aims to involve as many realities as possible, also through various forms of collaboration, such as the one with the women’s prison of Giudecca, where part of the production takes place, another way in which Michela supports the social fabric of the island.
In the atelier, fun workshops can also be booked (up to 8 people, also with an aperitif or light lunch formula) to immerse yourself in the art of artisanal workmanship and create a candle (which you can then take home as a “souvenir”!) inspired by the architecture of Venice, while listening to fascinating anecdotes about the history and culture of the Serenissima.
Our favorite items? The Ca’ d’Oro candle and the Trabocchetto necklace in hand-woven silk thread with a double brass pendant. Two must-haves for anyone who loves Venice and beautiful things.
The Secret
In the shop, you can also buy the Amulets Collection line, a series of jewels created in collaboration with Moroccan artisans. During her stay in Morocco, in fact, Michela was particularly fascinated by traditional techniques such as brass engraving and wood painting, crafts that are unfortunately at risk of disappearing, overshadowed by the low-quality products of mass production.
Useful Info
Relight Venice
Cannaregio 2430 Calle Zancani
30121 Venezia
Tel. +39 3483717655
Shop online
Guided tour of the workshop: from 80 euro, about 45 minutes, total cost of the experience that does not vary based on the number of participants (max 8 people)
Workshop: from 74 euro per person, about 90 minutes, including the creation of a candle
Course: from 135 euro per person, about 3 hours, a guide to the professional design of a candle (from modeling the clay to creating the rubber mold up to making the personalized candle)
