Foreword

After Burgundy, Campus MaNa is expanding internationally!

Heading for Venice, where Campus MaNa Venezia is setting up shop on the inspiring island of San Servolo, in the heart of the lagoon.

From November 2025, immerse yourself in a brand new space for transmission and creation, where artisanal excellence meets innovation.

To inaugurate this extraordinary place, Campus MaNa Venezia is launching the “Guardians of the Gesture” collection: a series of rare training courses dedicated to the arts of making.

On the bill: exceptional masters, guardians of know-how as precious as they are little-known.
Master pleaters, wood marquetry workers, master glassmakers, plaster-stucco-staff experts, and basket makers will take turns sharing their skills, materials, and secrets of manufacturing.

Campus MaNa offers immersive professional training, in residence, in the fields of arts, design, architecture, and crafts.

A bit of history

Located in the heart of the Venetian Lagoon, San Servolo is an island steeped in history. Long isolated from the hustle and bustle of the city, it was first a place of religious retreat in the 8th century, before becoming a Benedictine monastery. In the 18th century, it housed a military hospital, then a psychiatric hospital, active until the end of the 20th century. Now restored, the island houses cultural, academic, and artistic institutions. This evolution makes San Servolo a place of memory, transformation, and openness, perfectly aligned with the ambitions of the MaNa Campus.

The campus in Venice

The MaNa Venezia Campus is located on a unique island: San Servolo, a territory belonging to the Municipality of Venice. Nestled on 5 hectares of greenery in the heart of the lagoon, a few minutes by vaporetto from San Marco Square, the island offers a setting as peaceful as it is inspiring.

The campus has two large workshops of 400 m² each, specially designed to accommodate all training courses in crafts and rare skills. Each workshop benefits from an exceptional view of the Venetian lagoon, conducive to concentration, creativity and contemplation.

In addition, a large amphitheater and two conference rooms allow the organization of presentations, debates, screenings and educational or cultural events.

San Servolo also has a 120-room hotel: Please note: these rooms go very quickly!

A restaurant open morning, noon and evening allows residents to fully enjoy the experience, without leaving the island.

Our unusual addresses in Venice

🍴 Unusual restaurants to discover:

Osteria alle Testiere – Intimate and renowned, this small osteria offers refined Venetian cuisine, using only fresh market produce.
Al Timon – A relaxed wine bar with cicchetti (Venetian tapas) to be enjoyed canalside from a moored rowboat.
Antiche Carampane – Hidden away in the back streets, this historic trattoria offers uncompromising local cuisine.
Il Refolo – Gourmet pizzas on a peaceful waterfront terrace, away from the tourist crowds.
Anice Stellato – A contemporary bistro in Cannaregio, renowned for its inventive interpretation of the cuisine of the lagoon.
Ca’ D’Oro alla Vedova – Venetian institution known for its polpette and Veneto cuisine. Best to book in advance.
La Zucca – Inventive, plant-based Italian cuisine in an intimate setting. Reservations required.
Cantina Do Spade – A popular osteria for cicchetti at the counter or dinner in the back room.

🖼️ Off-the-beaten-path museums:

Museo Fortuny – House-museum of the great Mariano Fortuny, combining art, fashion, textiles, and decoration.
Palazzo Mocenigo – A journey through the art of costume, perfumes, and Venetian nobility.
Scuola Grande di San Rocco – A Baroque treasure trove housing the masterpieces of Tintoretto.
Museo della Musica – Housed in a church, this free museum presents ancient instruments in a magical atmosphere.
Museum Naval History Museum – To discover the maritime power of the Serenissima through its galleons, maps, and marine objects. Guggenheim Museum – A must-see for modern art, in Peggy Guggenheim's Venetian palace, facing the Grand Canal. 🎨 Biennials not to be missed: Contemporary Art Biennial (every two years – next in 2026) Architecture Biennial (alternating with art – next in 2025) Dance, Theater, and Music Biennial – Annual events with the performing arts.

Hotels where you can have a drink in style :

Aman Venice – A palace on the Grand Canal with a discreet and elegant bar.
Ca' Sagredo – Refined bar in a museum-hotel, facing the Rialto Market.
The Gritti Palace – A classic, with its terrace on the Grand Canal.
Palazzo Experimental – Contemporary style and signature cocktails.
Hotel Bauer – Panoramic terrace for sipping a spritz facing the Salute.

⛪ Inspiring chapels, churches, and spiritual places:

Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute – Built in tribute to the end of the plague.
Church of San Pantalon – Known for its incredible ceiling painted.
Chiesa di San Zaccaria – A Gothic and Renaissance gem.
Church of the Madonna dell'Orto – Little known, but beautiful, with works by Tintoretto.
San Giorgio Maggiore – Climb the campanile for spectacular views of Venice.

🏛️Foundations to visit:

- Fondazione Cini (on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore) – Arts, culture, lectures, exhibitions.
- Fondazione Querini Stampalia – An art foundation in a Venetian palace, with a library, exhibitions, and a garden designed by Carlo Scarpa.
- Fondazione Prada Venezia – Ambitious exhibitions in the exceptional setting of Palazzo Corner della Regina.
- Punta della Dogana – Pinault Foundation – Contemporary art in a spectacular location renovated by Tadao Ando.
- Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa – Platform for young artists, with committed exhibitions.