My sister and I will be spending a couple of days in Venice in July (I know, bad time of year, but I had no choice). We would like to do something a bit unusual with our time.

I have already obtained info. on participating in a workshop to decorate my own mask and am looking for cooking lessons/classes. Ideally, I would like something that lasts for a few hours on one day. I have tried browsing the web, but can't seem to find anything helpful. Any suggestions?

What a great idea! Would you mind sharing the info on the mask workshop?

Thanks
Anne

The Mask Workshop is through Ca'Macana in the district of Dorsoduro. Their website is found at www.camacana.com. They have info. there regarding their classes. The classes that they do give are geared to tour groups. That said, they will hold a private workshop for you and your group/travel companion(s). They don't have a program where you can just sign up for a class...you actually have to provide all of the people. For 2 people, for the mini decorating workshop (2.5 hours, 1 day) is would cost 165 Euros each plus tax. While this does seem a bit high, the cost changes depending on how many people are in the group. You can have a private 1-on-1 workshop for 330 Euros (decoration class only). The Mask making class is more expensive and really seems to need two days. When you think that you will end up with a venetian mask, decorated by yourself in Venice, the cost isn't all that bad. Plus, this is an activity that people can do on a short trip and is really cool.

If you are interested, I would simply go to the website and send them an email asking if they are available for a private workshop on the date that interests you. They will let you know fairly quickly and provide the prices.

There's an American woman who lives there. She has 3 kinds of services: cooking, photography, or tours of more private places in town. Her business is run by her ex-husband outof New York - so you might want to give a call and get info.
Samantha Durrell
212 873-1964
We met with her last year and it was a great way to spend the day -particularly if you've been there many times and are looking for something interesting.

Thanks LBD, I'll give him a call. I am excited to hear about the photography thing as well...as it's become an obsession of mine in the past year.