The Craftsman Road: Glass, Cheese, Alpaca Wool
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Port
Saguenay, Quebec, Canada
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Activity Level
Moderate
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Excursion Type
All
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Wheelchair Accessible
No
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Starting At
$139.95
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Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
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Duration
Approximately 3½ Hours
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Meals Included
Meals not included
Step back in time and discover the artisan crafts of a bygone era with glassmaking, cheese and an alpaca farm on the agenda.
Visit the Touverre Workshop. Glass-blowing is one of the oldest art forms and one of the most difficult to master. Guiseppe Benedetto, a glassmaker and sculptor, performs this highly sophisticated technique for visitors to his workshop. The glassmaker's mission is to develop top-of-the-line decorative objects such as whales, blueberries, fruits, lamps, perfumers, and more. His creations integrate his art with architecture. Limited series sculptures incorporate granite, glass, aluminum, bronze, or steel -- contrasts in strength and fragility.
Visit the Fromagerie Boivin Interpretive Center. While tasting some cheese samples, you will hear the history of this family cheese-making enterprise. The dairy produces about 2.3 million kilograms (five million pounds) of cheese annually.
Next, visit the Alpaca Bersi Farm and learn about the characteristics of the alpaca, from its habits to the collection of its fiber and wool products. Also known as the Gold of the Andes, this luxurious natural fiber has much to offer -- it is light, warm, water-resistant, not prickly, hypoallergenic and incredibly soft. With the expertise of a craftsman, beautiful sweaters, scarves, hats, and mittens are the end result.