Venice Research is a collection of string instruments and a discerning commercial point for the acquisition and sale of both fine Italian classical and modern string instruments, with a particular focus on those made in Venice. Located in an historical luthier bottega in the heart of the beautiful city of Venice (see the map), Italy, we are devoted to the research of fine string instruments but also to the publication of important newly discovered information on the musical life in Venice, the Venetian makers of string instruments and their work, from the 16th century till modern times. Over the last twelve years, we have published three lavishly illustrated volumes on the instruments, luthiers and musicians of Venice, all of which reveal never before known information gleaned from the city’s archives, making them indispensible for anyone interested in the history of the Italian luthier craft. We hope you will enjoy visiting our site and the city of Venice also, that has paid an important tribute to the arts and the musical life. Please note that not all of the instruments illustrated on this website are for sale.

Prof. Stefano Pio – S. Croce 2165 – 30135 Venice – Italy
Expert in Italian and Venetian string instruments
Expert for the Court of Venice
Technical advicer for the Court of Venice
Member of Experts to The Chamber of Commerce, Venice, Italy
Member of La Fenice Opera Orchestra, Venice

fax 0039 041 52 36 545
tel 0039 339 56 09 637
stepio@tin.it

Stefano Pio  was born in 1958 in Milan, where he completed his musical and classical studies. While studying law at the Catholic University of Milan, he decided to devote himself exclusively to the music profession and began an intense schedule of playing concert, chamber music while teaching at major theaters and musical institutions of the city. The winner of numerous national competitions, since 1985 Pio has been a professor of conducting at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, his city of residence for over twenty years. Side by side to his musical activities over the years has developed specific expertise in violin making, becoming an internationally known and respected researcher and expert.
He is the author of three monumental texts on the history of Venetian violin making from its beginnings in the 1500’s until the nineteenth century that are universally recognized as the most comprehensive books ever written to document both the technical and historical landscapes of the one of most important yet overlooked luthier schools, namely Venice, which fostered the birth of the modern violin and the violin making art.

His specific experience in the violin craft, along with his universal knowledge of art and music (following his father's footsteps, the famous violinist and composer Giusto Pio http://digilander.libero.it/giustopio/) made him become the trusted source for professional musicians and collectors who need advice, evaluations and appraisals for their instruments.
Pio’s dedicated and relentless research carried out within the Italian state and Church archives have allowed him to collect a prolific body of documents concerning the Italian violin makers of the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, which is quantitatively the one of the largest existing in the world.
The documents are kept, along with an archive of over 30,000 photographs,  in their office located in an historic violin bottega near the Rialto, (S. Croce 2165), where there is preserved a large collection of luthier tools as well as a collection of artifacts and instruments.
Pio’s studies are helping to revive the important reputation of the Venetian school of violin making, which in the eighteenth century rivalled that of the city of Cremona and its famous violin makers.
His studies and skills have led him to maintain relationships with major museums in the world such as the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Musée des Instrumentes Brussels, the Musée de la Musique in Paris, the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna etc. and major auction houses including Sotheby's.
Pio has contributed articles to leading international journals such as the Strad Magazine, the Double Bassist and the VSA papers.
As an 'Expert and Consultant Engineer and Surveyor of the Court of Venice and  Chamber of Commerce of Venice, Pio has collaborated with the Superintendency of Fine Arts in Venice.

Brian Newnam
Los Alamos, New Mexico
June 2004

Stefano Pio, nasce nel 1958 a Milano, citt� in cui ha compiuto i suoi studi musicali e classici. Studente di giurisprudenza presso l’Universit� Cattolica di Milano, opta per la professione musicale ed inizia a svolgere un’intensa attivit� concertistica, cameristica e didattica presso i principali teatri ed enti musicali della citt�. Vincitore di innumerevoli concorsi nazionali, � dal 1985  professore d’orchestra presso il Teatro La Fenice di Venezia, citt� in cui risiede da circa un ventennio. Collateralmente alla sua attivit� musicale ha sviluppato nel corso degli anni specifiche competenze in campo liutario, diventando ricercatore ed esperto della materia, conosciuto ed apprezzato in ambito internazionale.

� autore di due monumentali testi sulla storia della liuteria veneziana dai suoi esordi fino al XIX� secolo che sono universalmente riconosciuti come manuali tecnici e storiografici fra i pi� importanti e completi mai scritti in ambito liutario.

Le sue specifiche esperienze in materia liutaria, unitamente alle sue conoscenze artistiche e popolarit� in campo musicale (figlio d’arte del noto violinista e compositore Giusto Pio http://digilander.libero.it/giustopio/  )  lo hanno fatto divenire punto di riferimento per musicisti professionisti e collezionisti che necessitano di consulenze, stime, perizie per i propri strumenti.

Le ricerche svolte presso gli archivi di stato italiani gli hanno permesso di raccogliere un corpus documentale inerente la liuteria italiana del XVIII� secolo che � quantitativamente il pi� vasto esistente a livello mondiale.

I documenti sono custoditi, unitamente ad un archivio di circa 30.000 fotografie, presso il proprio studio liutario situato nelle vicinanze di Rialto, denominato Venice Research ( S. Croce 2165), centro di riflessione sulla materia (vi � conservata un’importante collezione di strumenti nonch� una raccolta museale di manufatti ed attrezzi degli antichi liutai) ed � anche punto commerciale ove si effettuano restauri e compravendite di strumenti ad arco.

Nello studio rivive la tradizione liutaria che fece rivaleggiare Venezia nel XVIII� secolo con la citt� di Cremona ed i suoi famosi liutai ( Stradivari, Amati, Guarneri).

I suoi studi  e competenze lo hanno portato a mantenere relazioni con i principali musei di strumenti nel mondo quali il Metropolitan Museum di NewYork, il Musée des Instrumentes di Bruxelles, il Musée de la Musique di Parigi, il Kunsthistorisches Museum di Vienna etc. e le principali case d’aste fra cui la Sotheby’s.

Collabora con le pi� importanti riviste internazionali del settore quali lo Strad Magazine e Double Bassist.

E’ Perito e Consulente Tecnico del Tribunale di Venezia nonch� Perito della Camera di Commercio di Venezia. Ha collaborato con la Sovraintendenza alle Belle Arti di Venezia.

Information and purpose of Venice Research	Location, address and contact	Articles, books, researches on Venetian luthiers and instruments	Reviews	Italian Version