Susanna Pozzoli is the author, having worked both as the photographer and as the writer of the texts: short stories recounting her experiences, both professional and human, lived during her time spent in the artisans’ workshops and artisanal ateliers of excellence, the cherished protagonists of this publication.
The artist managed to tiptoe into these workshops, enamoured by artisanal savoir-faire to soak up and interpret them; she has recounted her experiences in short and very personal texts, intense and engaging, capturing each time different details. The result is a collection not only of exceptional portraits, but also of stories of places, lives and very intimate emotions. The narration unfolds through the images of twenty-one carefully selected protagonists, identified by the Michelangelo Foundation and the Cologni Foundation in collaboration with some of the most important institutions in the field, such as Confartigianato Imprese Venezia. The words and the images in this poetic tribute to the beauty of crafts, people and places, follow the rhythms of the heart and the time frames of manual work, highlighting its sacredness.
A note from the Michelangelo Foundation and the preface by Franco Cologni open the publication. An introductory text by Toto Bergamo Rossi, Director of the Venetian Heritage Foundation, highlights the historical value and living heritage that these portraits embody for Venice and the Veneto Region. The art historian Federica Muzzarelli presents the artistic aspect of the Venetian Way project, capturing the salient features of the author’s vision, her slow and intimate gaze, which invites us to “delve into the images and the subject matter”