There are actions that have nothing to do with bread.
Yet they speak of the very same values: care, respect and responsibility.
In the early 2000s, we joined the “Veneziani per Venezia” initiative by contributing to the restoration of Venice’s historic wellheads in the churches of San Marcuola, Santa Sofia and Santi Apostoli. It was not a public relations exercise. It was a way of giving something back to the city that has allowed our family to practice its craft since 1890.
Why the wellheads
In Venice, wellheads are not simply architectural elements. They are memory. For centuries, they represented water — and therefore life.
When we learned that the wellheads of San Marcuola (1713), Santa Sofia (1785) and Santi Apostoli (17th century) required restoration, it felt natural for us to help. These are places we pass through every day. They are living parts of the districts where we work.
In 1858, there were thousands of public and private wells throughout Venice. Today, many wellheads have disappeared or fallen into disrepair. Preserving them means preserving a part of Venice’s identity.
The restoration work
The restoration work was carried out by Lares Srl. The wellheads were cleaned of surface deposits and biological growth. Old cement-based repairs were removed and replaced with compatible lime-based mortars and stone powder. Some damaged sections were reintegrated using stone inserts.
The decorative details, mouldings and inscriptions were carefully restored and brought back to their original appearance. Even the graffiti on the metal cover was removed.
It was not simply a matter of cleaning them. It was about restoring readability, dignity and stability to structures that have endured for centuries.
Our way of being Venetian
We are bakers.
Every day, we serve around 3,000 customers across our Cannaregio locations, producing more than 70 types of bread, fresh pasta and traditional pastries. Each year, we use hundreds of quintals of flour and prepare thousands of focacce and Venetian fritters.
But above all, we are Venetians..
The Strada Nuova – San Leonardo shop has been open since 1961. Our business began in 1890. For more than a century, we have witnessed Venice change, evolve, struggle and renew itself.
The restoration of the wellheads was a quiet gesture, consistent with the way we work: artisanal, practical and without fanfare.
For us, supporting Venetian tradition does not mean simply talking about it.
It means taking care of it.
And if today those three wellheads are once again visible and alive, it is a source of pride for us. Not because they bear our name, but because they continue to tell the story of Venice.
