Campus MaNa Comes to Venice

After Burgundy, Campus MaNa reaches a new milestone and opens to the international stage. The destination: Venice, where the institution dedicated to the transmission of exceptional craftsmanship inaugurates Campus MaNa Venezia on the island of San Servolo, in the heart of the lagoon. More than a new location, this project asserts a vision—one of rigorous pedagogy, rooted in the history of the decorative arts and resolutely forward-looking. In Venice, the hand finds its natural territory once again.

An Island Campus Designed for Creation

Just minutes by vaporetto from St. Mark’s Square, San Servolo unfolds across five hectares of greenery suspended between sky and water. Rare, peaceful, and deeply inspiring, this setting is now home to a campus conceived as a place of transmission and experimentation. Two 400 m² workshops, open onto the lagoon, have been specially designed for training in the decorative arts and rare crafts. The site also includes an amphitheatre, two conference rooms, and nearly 160 bedrooms, enabling participants to experience full immersion. A restaurant, open morning, noon, and evening, completes this unique island experience.

“Guardians of the Gesture”: Passing On What Matters Most

To inaugurate Campus MaNa Venezia, the institution launches the training series “Guardians of the Gesture”, dedicated to the arts of making and to rare crafts linked to restoration and excellence in craftsmanship. Master pleaters, wood marquetry artisans, master glassmakers, specialists in plaster, stucco and staff, basket makers… These exceptional figures take turns passing on gestures, materials, and precious knowledge—often little known. Here, the gesture is both heritage and a living language.

Venice, a Cultural Certainty

Designer and founder of Campus MaNa, Thomas Dariel, describes Venice as an obvious choice. “Venice is more than a backdrop: it is a matrix.” From the Italian Renaissance to the French golden age of the 18th century, a foundational dialogue emerged between cultures, giving rise to the very idea of luxury. It is this legacy that Campus MaNa seeks to keep alive through transmission. The opening of Campus MaNa Venezia is the result of a collaboration with Alexandre de Metz, founder of Venezia Photo, entrepreneur, and passionate devotee of La Serenissima. Together with the Campus MaNa teams, they affirm that the MaNa spirit—excellence of gesture, celebration of the hand, and sharing of knowledge—is universal and can take shape far beyond French borders.

2026: An Exceptional Programme on the Horizon

As Campus MaNa Venezia begins its first year, the institution is already unveiling an ambitious programme for 2026, conceived as a living dialogue between French and Italian fine craftsmanship, design, and architecture. Particular attention is given to detail, to the right gesture, to that intelligence of the hand that distinguishes creators around the world. Campus MaNa Venezia thus invites artisans, designers, architects, and enthusiasts to anchor their journey in a place imbued with soul. In Venice, transmission becomes experience. Prepare your hands.•

The full programme is available at the following link: Campus MaNa, our training programms in Venise.

Practical Information: Campus MaNa is Qualiopi-certified, offering a genuine opportunity for professionals. Training programmes at Campus MaNa Venice may be fully covered by Afdas, with no upfront costs. Participants are also eligible for travel assistance (airplane, train, or bus) of up to €300, as well as a daily allowance of €84 to cover meals and accommodation.

Photos : Campus Mana • Pierre-Yves Morel © Marine Peixoto • KOGEI MANA Programm © Campus MaNA