Carlo Semenzato has recently taken over the renowned Fonderia Artistica Valese, which has been operating in Venice's historic center for more than a hundred years. In the forge near the church of the Madonna dell'Orto, brass (formed by the magical union of zinc and copper) or bronze is cast in molds, some of which date back to the eighteenth century, alloys that are brought to a liquid in a furnace between 800- and 1,300-degrees C°. The objects thus take shape through the so-called "dowel forming" process that uses Fontainbleu sand, an ancient technique that few companies still employ. This process allows the creation of various types of objects sold in Calle Fiubera just a few steps from Piazza San Marco. Among the most renowned productions are typical gondola ornaments, lion-head shaped batacchi, friezes for furniture, chandeliers, and wall sconces in Dutch-Flemish and Empire style, original masks from the commedia dell'arte, precious lions including those by Canova and reproductions of the most famous Venetian monuments such as the equestrian statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni by Verrocchio.