Alex Signoretti, 30, is Murano’s youngest master glassmaker. On the island where he grew up and trained, he works in a studio alongside two other young people, ages 27 and 28, making them the island’s youngest team.
“I’ve always had a passion for glassmaking,” says Signoretti, “but I was also lucky enough to start experimenting with it at a very young age because my grandfather, Bruno Fusato Signoretti, was friends with another well-known master glassmaker, Pino Signoretto. Seeing my interest in the art, Signoretto agreed to teach me the basics. Then, like everyone else, I started out as an assistant in the glassworks, and little by little, the masters—seeing that I had the aptitude—entrusted me with increasingly complex tasks, broadening my training.”
A craft that goes beyond creation for its own sake, but one that embodies important values: “The younger generations,” says Signoretti, “tend to want everything right away, strongly influenced by social media in this regard. The craft of glassmaking, like other artisanal trades, teaches the importance of patience: only through patience can one achieve results that bring satisfaction. And for me, every creation is a source of satisfaction because it allows me to gain more experience and improve my skills.”
Signoretti’s style follows in the tradition of the family business with a more modern twist: “Without straying too far from the classic designs,” he explains, “I try to reinterpret colors and decorations to make them suitable for the interior design style of contemporary homes. For example, some vases and centerpieces that were in fashion in the 1970s had very bright colors and almost Baroque decorations: but now that a more minimalist style is preferred, they would seem ‘overwhelming.’” “With the right embellishments and colors, these works can still be appreciated today.”
Among the most in-demand types of artworks, Signoretti points to decorative objects: “Vases and centerpieces,” he says, “are what most attract the average Italian and international customer. Art critics, on the other hand—or at least the most passionate collectors—do not turn their noses up at sculptures or chandeliers. For the latter, however, there has generally been a decline in demand, partly because I’ve noticed that architects have been using plastic much more frequently for lighting lately.”
As a sales channel, Signoretti—despite having an online store—prefers a physical location: “A piece of art,” the young man explains, “doesn’t do justice when seen in a photo. Moreover, when a customer comes here, they also have the opportunity to learn about our family’s history and the glassmaking tradition, to see the craftsmanship firsthand, and to understand its artistic and economic value.”
And speaking of the economy, one cannot fail to mention the price hikes of recent years: “Before the war in Ukraine,” Signoretti notes, “gas cost 0.15 euros per cubic meter. As international conflicts have escalated, the price has now quadrupled, and on top of that, there’s the rise in raw material costs. Large companies aren’t particularly affected because they receive subsidies and have enough business volume to raise their prices without significant problems. Small and medium-sized businesses—mostly family-run—are the ones suffering the most.”
The centuries-old techniques of master glassblowers are in danger of being lost. Young master glassblower Alex Signoretti is sounding the alarm: “In recent years, not enough has been invested in the younger generations,” he laments, “and now that many of the older master glassmakers are retiring, the few young people left risk not learning in time all the knowledge that has been passed down for centuries.”
This is also because the craft of the master glassmaker still relies on traditional tools that haven’t changed all that much with the advent of new technologies. But some ancient techniques that used to produce specific results have already been forgotten: “Today, we young people often proceed by trial and error,” admits Signoretti, “sometimes, unfortunately, at odds with the techniques of the older masters.”
Another unresolved issue is the lack of sufficient generational turnover: “The big brands,” explains Signoretti, “can invest in training, but family-run workshops often have very limited space and cannot safely accommodate apprentices.” To help even the smallest businesses, Signoretti proposes an idea: “It would be great if the government could lend a hand in creating a hub for training young people and helping them appreciate the beauty of this craft—a beauty that, unfortunately, is often overlooked in the face of the hard work involved in standing in front of the fire for eight hours a day.”
Camilla Pustetto
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