Divine Nature has given us the countryside, human art has built cities.
(Marco Terenzio Varrone)
Mario Berta Battiloro: last Gold Beater in Venice
Anima Veneziana was born from the desire to make known to the world the people who make Venice such a unique city.
A city that the world knows mainly for its iconic monuments, the beautiful palaces and churches on the Grand Canal, for its works of art.
But Venice would not exist if it were not for the resilience of its inhabitants, who for hundreds of years, have fought with their nails and teeth to keep its traditions and uniqueness alive.
With this series of articles we want to introduce you to those who immediately embraced our project by offering their support for the production of the film Anima Veneziana.
We start today with Mario Berta Battiloro, a Venetian family, the last artisan company of gold beaters left in Europe, keeper of the art of working gold in thin sheets, an ancient profession that came to Venice from Byzantium around the year 1000.
But let’s let them introduce themselves!
Who is Mario Berta Battiloro?
Mario Berta Battiloro S.r.l. it is the only artisan company of gold beater existing both in Italy and in Europe and is located in the palace of Tiziano Vecellio in the splendid city of Venice.
In the workshop opened for the first time in 1926, 24 carat gold ingots have been transformed into very thin leaves for four generations for different areas of application.
Artistic decorations such as mosaic, glass, iconography, marble, plexiglass, wood, shells etc.; as a 24 kt food decoration in leaves and flakes, to conclude with the production of a cosmetic line with the famous SPLENDOR® gold mask. The ancient technique allows us to preserve the quality and properties of the raw material. Gold.
Why did you decide to give your support to Anima Veneziana?
We decided to give support to this project, first of all, to overcome the most difficult moment experienced in recent years and to give an opportunity to those who accompanied the millions of tourists who went before COVID-19 to discover our city thanks to the tourist guides best we have. Such a wide-ranging project to redevelop our city is a precious asset for everyone and only together will we be able to do it!
How do you dream your Venice?
We dream of our Venice, redeveloped for better, civil and respectful tourism, of the most fragile city in the world. It must be every person’s dream to be able to admire an open-air heritage for its magnificence but also for the different arts of which it has been known for millennia.
Thank you Mario Berta Battiloro for you support!
