Mastercard announces its collaboration with Italian Stories, the online platform for experiential tourism, with the aim of supporting and helping people rediscover the excellence of Italian craftsmanship, made up of passion, innovation, reinterpretation and constant modernisation of arts and traditions, wisely respected, which have been handed down from generation to generation.
Enter the historic workshop of Giancarlo Busato, an art printer from Vicenza, where you can discover the emotion that can still be experienced today through lithography, engraving or xylography by lifting a ‘simple’ sheet of paper from the presses.
Visit Francesco Scherma‘s workshop in Palermo to learn about the art of Sicilian “pupi”.
Meet Marta Cucchia in the Atelier Brozzetti, directly in the Church of San Francesco delle Donne in Perugia, where the passion for the tradition of hand-weaving is preserved. Handed down from mother to daughter for generations, it still creates timeless fabrics that carry with them the history of Umbrian art and territory.
These are just some of the experiences that will be accessible, starting in March, through the international platform Priceless.com, dedicated to Mastercard holders, which will allow them to experience a unique virtual journey to discover the Italy of traditional crafts. In a second phase, when it will be possible to do so, personalised physical experiences will also be promoted.
“The representatives of Italian arts and crafts that we have involved in this new project are excellences who have been able to pioneer innovation in tradition, combining the creativity and experience of the great workshop masters of the past with new tools and technologies. They are true hidden gems, a unique resource for our country”, said Luca Fiumarella, head of Marketing Italy at Mastercard. “With this collaboration, Mastercard wants to shine a light on art forms that are often hidden and unknown, to make them known and appreciated not only by Italians, but also by all foreigners who love Italy.”
Through the new collaboration, Mastercard will support Italian Stories’ network of artisans during 2021 by providing its technologies to enhance their online platforms and digital marketing solutions with the aim of improving the communication of their savoir faire and the business itself to build profitable and long-lasting relationships not only in Italy but also abroad.