Pieces of Venice adds two new candleholders to its line, enhancing the variety of gifts one can purchase in solidarity with the less fortunate.
Venice, November 2023 – The much-anticipated holiday season is approaching, and the benefit company Pieces of Venice adds new candle holders to its line, the Murano Faro 4177 and Fondamenta Vetrai 97, sustainable and colorful pieces made from Murano glass. The expanded portfolio offers clients the opportunity to enhance the interior aesthetics of a home, hotel, or public space while contributing to improving life for the less fortunate with notions of environmental preservation.
Pieces of Venice’s contribution to improving the lives of the less fortunate is multifaceted, encompassing employment opportunities, support for local communities, financial contributions to social causes, and a commitment to sustainable, environmentally friendly practices. Increasing its product line strengthens its ability to carry through the previously mentioned goals.
XXVI Compasso d’Oro ADI Award in the ‘Design for Social’ Category
Designed by Fucina Frammenti, these candle holders are the latest additions to the Pieces of Venice product line. The company is founded on a profound love for the city of Venice and its magical traditions. Their mission, which earned them the prestigious XXVI Compasso d’Oro ADI award in the ‘Design for Social’ category in 2020, is to transform discarded materials from the city and the lagoon into small, unique design works, simultaneously helping the environment and supporting the local community through their partnership with the Futura Cooperative, which promotes social redemption and rehabilitation for those less fortunate.
With this project, Pieces of Venice expands its range of design products by breathing new life into “galottine,” derived from glasses made with the prestigious and colorful Murano glass. This project joins a collection of wooden accessories made from bricola and larch wood from the docks, contributing to the preservation and embellishment of the city through the “Save Venice One Piece at a Time” initiative, aimed at funding various conservation efforts in Venice’s historic center. This demonstrates the social commitment of the Benefit Company to its community. Like other precious items bearing the Pieces of Venice signature, these candle holders, which repurpose the galottine, are named after addresses in Venice, each of which leads the curious traveler through tales, history, and legends associated with the lagoon city.
Pieces of Venice is a circular economy social enterprise conceived by entrepreneur Luciano Marson and his wife, Karin Friebel. It offers creations made from reclaimed materials found in the corners of Venice, including wood, Murano glass waste, and fabrics recovered from Venice’s weavers and tailors. In 2020, Pieces of Venice was honored with the Compasso d’Oro, one of the most prestigious international recognitions for high-quality design production. By creating exquisite art pieces while simultaneously supporting environmental and social causes, Pieces of Venice embodies the spirit of the season, reminding us that the most cherished gifts are those that give back to our world and warm the hearts of those less fortunate.
Candle Holder – Fondamenta Vetrai 97
An homage to Abbot Vincenzo Zanetti, who dedicated his entire life to the island of Murano and its prestige after a period of furnace closures during Habsburg rule in the 19th century. Alberto Toso Fei, an exceptional storyteller for Pieces of Venice who shares Murano origins with the abbot, explains, “They are called ‘Fondamenta Vetrai 97‘ because they are made of glass and they honor the man who saved the Murano glassworks from obscurity.” Zanetti was born in Murano, at number 97 on Fondamenta dei Vetrai, giving these galottine their name. They are created from the processing of glasses from the renowned “IDRA” line by NasonMoretti, with the addition of a base made from bricola wood, transforming them into elegant candle holders.
Candle Holder – Murano Faro 4177
The Murano lighthouse, identified as number 4177 by the Hydrographic Institute of the Navy, is the cornerstone connecting Venice to the glass island and serves as a beacon for vessels in open waters. Alberto Toso Fei describes it, “With its luminous path that lights up every six seconds, it guides ships into the lagoon and continues to mark the way with its tower’s light in the open sea. The Murano lighthouse is all this and more: it stands 32 meters tall, making it the tallest lighthouse in the entire lagoon. In times of the Serenissima, there was already a lighthouse on the island – a wooden tower used as a lookout during daylight, with fires reflected by mirrors on its top at night.”
The Pieces of Venice candle holder Faro 4177 embodies the magic of light and history, using residual glass from NasonMoretti’s “galottine” glasses and bricola wood from the lagoon. As the candle’s light filters through the glass’s textures and colors, it recreates the reflections of the beam bouncing off the lagoon’s ripples, creating a tranquil and relaxing atmosphere, as if moved by the open sea waves.
The specific waste material research is led by Fucina Frammenti, initiated during Clara Accebbi’s master’s thesis, “ReLab. Project Workshop,” which was published in ADI DESIGN INDEX 2020 and evolved into the design team known as FF, consisting of Clara Acebbi, Elia Venturini, and Alessandro Zannoni.
