This gives rise to the need of escaping this dangerous point of no return to block the virtuosities that push this world into closing up. It is a need that an illuminated company like Ettore Bertoldini is aware of during these difficult times, when the capacity to be self-critical, decision-making skills, and confidence in the future are required. A company that stands solidly upon its own tradition and collaborates with designers and architects of international renown, that reacts by training new generations, that invests in research and experiments new proposals, like the watertight bulkhead - a very useful yet very simple instrument for dealing with the problem of tidal flooding.

“If my family still exists today as a business, it is because it has a competent team capable of tackling the difficulties and risks of a market that does appreciate the specific qualities of craftsmanship because it is not capable of recognising them. Today, people are ashamed to dirty their hands while working with iron. My objective - says Piero, son of Ettore Bertoldini, the new generation – is to instil the pride of being the heirs of the culture of manual skills that today make Venice a unique city, because it is the fruit of expert craftsmanship." This is the foundation of Bertoldini’s commitment to restore the well-heads of squares of Campo SS Giovanni e Paolo, Campo Santa Maria Formosa, and Campo Santo Stefano.

The willingness to participate in a project that is spreading at an unexpected pace; the willingness to take care of something that belongs to us; the willingness to look towards the future while seeking the strength and stimuli of the past. In the hopes of stimulating the interest of as many Venetians as possible to become actively involved in promoting the legacy of Venice, a city whose assets are not always fully appreciated.

People are embracing this new competitive spirit that brings us closer to the city rather than keeping us at a distance, that decides to go beyond and present itself as purely Venetian yet somewhat offbeat, as it attributes the added value of communication, development and production to this sense of belonging. Herein lies the strength of the “Veneziani x Venezia” project, a “non-place” where businesses become proactive because Venice is a city of culture, and a city of the future.

The challenge to spread good will continues.