Venetian arts and crafts

Metal tools for glass are an essential help for glaziers. Maybe it is not what draws your attention when you observe masters or their helpers work on glass in a furnace or at their torch. That [...]

Murrina is a term used in Venice and in Murano to address both a fascinating, ancient technique and a specific creation, which can be a finished work of art or can serve to create more art in [...]

Stained glass windows in the history of Venice Stained glass windows in Venice have been known since the end of the 13th century, after glass blowers moved their furnaces to Murano. Florence, [...]

Lino Tagliapietra in these days is in Murano. Last February he was in Washington State. When the first Covid-19 cases arrived in Seattle, the glass laboratory where he was working closed. So Lino [...]

The Venezia Pavilion is an exception in the history of the Venice Biennale. Designed in 1932 during Fascism on the island of Sant’Elena, the reason why it was built is quite interesting and very [...]

Metal in Venice: blacksmiths and foundries Metal in Venice, needless to say, had to be imported from somewhere else. The close mountain chain of the Dolomites would be a resource which however [...]

Iron is the name of a major side-walk in Venice, by the Rialto bridge: “riva del ferro”. This area is close to the Fondaco dei Tedeschi, the ancient warehouse of the Northern European merchants, [...]

Wood is for Venice what stars are for a galaxy. It surely does not shine. But without wood, Venice’s beauty would not shimmer. Or simply said, Venice would not exist. It may happen that when you [...]

A chronicle of the floods in Venice Floods in Venice have not been so violent as in the past two years. On November 12th when the tide reached 1,87 meter above the sea level in the middle of the [...]

Rowing in Venice as a necessity Rowing in Venice was the way to move around. Or sailing in the open lagoon. Rowing is respectful towards the salt marshes of the lagoon and towards the ancient [...]