Saverio Pastor
Saverio Pastor was born in Venice in 1958. He trained under Giuseppe Carli and Gino Fossetta, Venice’s last “remèri” masters.
After working both as a freelance and for other Venetian workshops, in 2002 he opened his own workshop, “Le Forcole”, specialized in building oars and “Forcole” (oarlocks) for Venetian gondolas applying traditional techniques dating back to the Renaissance. In the last few centuries, the “forcole” became more and more complex in shape, in order to gain better manoeuvrability and efficiency, but because of their elegance and originality they also became actual interior design elements. The Master experiments with different shapes and materials, customized to each client's requests, employing exquisite Italian woods such as walnut, cherry and maple wood, while also creating home furnishings and objects inspired by Venice's traditions.
In his workshop, Saverio also trains young apprentices and students taking part in school-work alternation projects. He was appointed Master Craftsman by the Veneto Region in 2022. In 2017 he won the “Osella d'oro” award in Venice, in the section “productive and artisanal activities”. He is a member of Venice's CNA and the President of “El Felze”, an association which includes all the traditional trades linked to the conservation of gondolas, striving to preserve this ancient art’s expertise and pass it on to future generations.
