Ahhh…Venice! I love every single, dingle thing about this floating city! Such a unique and fascinating place with an amazing history. For me, favorite elements of visiting Venice were the food, the culture, and most of all, the mosaics and glass art.
Topping the list of the mosaics to see are at Basilica di San Marco. St. Mark’s Basilica was built in three phases between 829 and 976 CE. The architecture styles and exceptional mosaic artistry date from 1000+ years ago are truly something to behold. As in Ravenna, it is amazing to understand that all those gorgeous mosaic tiles were created without any technology. Each of the tiny, millions of pieces were hand cut. And the adhesive has sustained for centuries. Absolutely gorgeous!
A short water taxi ride took us to Murano, the glass blowing island of Venice. All glass blowing production was moved to this island in the 13th Century, in case a fire break out, lest the entire city be destroyed. But Venetians have been working crystal and glass since the 10th century. If you love glass art, Murano is THE place to visit. We went there and enjoyed a glass blowing demonstration, a crafting activity in which we made jewelry from their hand-blown glass beads, followed by a tour of their massive, gorgeous, glorious showroom (no photography allowed there!). The loveliness of their craftsmanship and beauty of their design brought me tears of joy. I can’t wait to return!
