Blog

Luciano Vistosi and his Murano glass art was and is indeed unconventional. Fifteen years after Vistosi passed away, a wonderful showroom in Murano dedicated to his art has finally opened. Over [...]

Gianmaria Potenza is a Venice-born and-based artist who sculptures the light and colors of Venice. In all his works, from the smallest to the largest sculptures covering a career of over 70 years [...]

The baptistery in St Mark’s Basilica in Venice is a true art jewel which will finally reopen its doors to visitors after a six-year long restoration campaign. Damages to the marble slabs caused [...]

Luana Segato, better known as Luse, opened her Venice atelier in 2013 in Dorsoduro, along the Calle lunga San Barnaba. This little place is inundated with light with its windows and glass door. I [...]

Modern Bodies is the title of the exhibition arranged at the Accademia Galleries in Venice which you should not miss. Until July 27th, 2025 you will have the opportunity to view wonderful art [...]

In the year 1800 the Conclave to elect the new Pope was held in Venice, on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. It was the last time a Conclave did not take place in the Sistine Chapel in Rome. [...]

Tours for blind or visually impaired travelers in Venice? You will find this city more accessible than you think. Since 2020 I have run many tours with blind tourists who have asked me to design [...]

Maiolica tiles in the Lando Chapel in San Sebastiano church Ceramics produced in Venice in the ancient times was invisible heritage until a few weeks ago, when finally! the Lando Chapel floor in [...]

This is a story woven across Venice, Constantinople and later on Istanbul. It talks about their reciprocal love for gems, enamels and gold. An entangled, at times legendary story between two [...]

Jewelry and gemstones shimmer across the history of Venice in all possible colors. You can find many art works, from byzantine age onwards, where astonishing jewels feature on the bust, earlobes, [...]

When walking along the streets in the city of Venice, one can encounter mysterious sculptures which were carved in the stone or in marble many centuries ago. Most of them are monstrous and their [...]

Leather in Venice? If you are wondering what role leather played in ancient Venice, you will be surprised to learn about its multi faceted versatility. In the deposits of the City Museums you can [...]

Venice and Persia are over 4000 kilometers away from each other. But such a distance did not discourage Venetian merchants or Persian ambassadors from keeping a solid relationship. In fact, [...]

Statues and paintings representing St Mark’s winged lion will surround you pretty much when you visit Venice. Switching from a religious connotation linked to the Evangelist St Mark to the [...]

What kind of food would you enjoy in Venice centuries ago? The question is quite interesting and answers can be found in paintings, recipes printed in the early 16th century not to mention local [...]

Painted statues and architecture in Venice were quite common in medieval times or in the early Renaissance. The stone or marble façades of the palaces, the bas-reliefs decorating the portals and [...]

The remains of a Roman Villa in the northern Venetian lagoon, near Lio Piccolo, have been under investigation since the archeologist Ernesto Canal started in the 1980s.  Every year new [...]

Dance in Venetian art Dance in Venetian paintings is not a common subject, but once you start noticing, you will find out it’s been treated in a great variety. Sometimes sensuality or even a [...]

Touring the Jewish museum and all the five synagogues in Venice will finally be possible in 2025. The good news is that after many years the restoration is almost finished. At the moment I am [...]

African Venice is the title of a book recently published in Italian and in English by wetlands and edited by Paul Kaplan and Shaul Bassi. The book is thought to be a guidebook, helping you [...]

Marco Polo is one of those characters a tourist guide in Venice will always mention. Born in Venice in 1254, Marco Polo accompanied his father and his uncle when he was only 17 and reached Asia [...]

Rosalba Carriera was one of the best known painters from Venice who reached an international fame in the 18th century but got almost forgotten for a long time. However, Save Venice has recently [...]

The library of San Francesco della Vigna in Venice is a true jewel. In a city where many libraries are fascinating, such as the Marciana National Library or the Querini Stampalia library or the [...]

Wooden molds are hollow containers used to give shape when you blow your glass object, whether we talk about goblets, vases or lamps. Visiting a glass factory in Murano is a great experience as [...]

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 [...]

Venice and its rivers Rivers connecting south and north with Venice, explain why this city was built. Still nowadays, even considering how much geographical surroundings of Venice have changed [...]

The plague was a constant problem for Venice in the ancient times. A city devoted to trading could not simply reject foreign ships reaching the city for fear they would bring diseases, otherwise [...]

Gelato is one of those words tourists do not need any translation for. Actually, if I say “ice cream”, some give me a suspicious look as if I am proposing them something which is not truly [...]

Coffee trade in Venice reached its climax in the middle of the 18th century.  Nearly 28 million cups of coffee per year would be drunk in Venice and its territories in the Stato da Terra in [...]

Venetian gardens are unexpectedly quite a few. At least five hundred. In Venice, gardens are not so easy to spot, though. Most visitors, after spending a few days in Venice, get the feeling they [...]

Vittore Carpaccio’s paintings in Venice are well known to the English speaking world still because of John Ruskin’s and Henry James’ praising words. Do you remember? Ruskin used expressions such [...]

Makeup in Venice: the concept of female beauty in 18th century nobility Who would be considered a beautiful woman in the 18th century Venice? It is a real joy to observe the paintings by Pietro [...]

Winter in Venice: pros and cons for a visit Winter in Venice is a special time for several reasons. First of all, the city is quiet(er than normally). Nowadays most tourists choose to visit the [...]

Contemporary architecture in Venice is not a chimera Contemporary architecture in Venice can be found pretty much everywhere, even in St. Mark’s square —see the Olivetti Showroom (link to my post [...]

Holy relics and disbelief Holy relics create curiosity and even when disbelief prevails, wouldn’t you still feel like checking as St. Thomas did? At the Accademia Galleries in Venice you can [...]

Renaissance architecture is something travelers coming to Italy connect to Florence. It is of course quite simplistic to search for an exact place where it all started, not to mention when. [...]

The Dolomites mountain chain is part of the Alps and can be viewed from Venice on clear days. Those blue peaks are a couple of hours drive far from Venice and it is there where timber rafts [...]

Aquileia is one of those beautiful destinations you can easily reach when visiting Venice. Not just, it will help understand Venice and its history and… why not?, enjoy some special winery [...]

Drinking water was not available in Venice in the early times. As Marin Sanudo explained in his chronicles of the 16th century, Venice is quite a paradox: “Veniexia è in aqua et non ha aqua”, [...]

Vela Al Terzo could be translated with “sail at a third”… at a third of what? Well, let me try to tell you more about this living heritage! If you come to Venice, you may notice some traditional [...]

Antonio Canova’s Orpheus and Eurydice at the Correr Museum in Venice Antonio Canova started his career as a sculptor thanks to senator Giovanni Falier. In 1775 at the age of 18 his Orpheus [...]

In Venice you will find plaques and monuments regarding Second World War, enhancing the role of the partisans and the movements of Resistance against Nazi-fascism, remembering the tragedy of the [...]

Angels in Venetian paintings are easy to find.  One of my favorite paintings with angels can be admired in the church of San Giovanni in Bragora. In the altar, Cima da Conegliano has left us the [...]

Masks and costumes are a major attraction for many visitors, who choose to come to Venice during its famous Carnival. Creativity and extravagance has turned Carnival in Venice into a world-wide [...]

Stars in Venetian history played a major role. They would help navigators find their routes in the Adriatic and Mediterranean Sea. They would direct travellers of the kind of Marco Polo to the [...]

The story of the first airport of Venice started before the Marco Polo International airport was founded in 1961. Much before, in fact: the first time an airplane took off in Venice was on [...]

Equestrian statues are not as common as winged lions. And yet they happen to mark pivotal historical events in Venice, although in different and sometimes “embarrassing” ways.  The quadriga of St [...]

HyperVenezia is the title of a photographic exhibition arranged at Palazzo Grassi in Venice till January 2022 to commemorate the legendary 1600th birthday of the city. The exhibition features [...]

Venice Lido or simply Lido or Lido di Venezia is one of the natural barriers of the Venetian lagoon, protecting it from the Adriatic Sea. Its history shows how a city was born in the early 20th [...]

Military fortifications in Venice are quite fascinating constructions which you can spot while navigating in the Venetian lagoon. In fact, mapping all of them helps see an incredibly impressive [...]

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, [...]

Venetian floors will bounce under your feet, will make you feel you are on rollercoaster with their bumps and hills and will finally enchant you with their harmonious and colourful layouts. You [...]

Who founded Venice is a challenging question. You will need patience, some scepticism and, believe it or not, some sense of humour, too. The foundation of Venice in the year 421 The legendary [...]

The Pink Lioness is the name of an association of breast cancer survivors that chose to get together to row dragon boats in Venice and its lagoon. Located in the premises of a very old rowing [...]

The new Venice Haggadah is ready. It is a book that took years to prepare and now it is finally here, beautifully printed and I hold it in my hands. I feel the paper, slightly rough, strong and [...]

The Ateneo Veneto in a cultural emergency The Ateneo Veneto is one of those historical institutions in Venice which I have always taken for granted and yet the pandemic has strongly struck its [...]

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 [...]

Nativity or Christmas, some commonplaces Nativity is one of those great religious motives in Christianity that apparently gets less interest in art than you expect. You will find a lot of [...]

A Renaissance staircase in Venice The Renaissance staircase at the Scuola Grande San Giovanni Evangelista in the district of Santa Croce is a true, hidden jewel of Venice. Designed by Mauro [...]

Bridges in Venice are all unique and different from each other. The Rialto bridge Just consider the old Rialto bridge, a draw-bridge in wood as it shows in Vittore Carpaccio, the Miracle of the [...]

The southern Venice lagoon, passing by the islands of Lido and Pellestrina all the way towards the fishing town of Chioggia, has a completely different flavour from what you see north of Venice. [...]

Cruising the lagoon of Venice evokes the dramatic events of 2019 when a cruise ship crashed against another ship docked at the Marittima port, or when a few weeks later one more of these sea [...]

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 [...]

Venice and coronavirus at the beginning of 2020 The first time I remember coronavirus being mentioned in Europe I was in Germany at the end of January. It was a joke someone was making at [...]

Virtual reality is not illusory When it comes to three-dimensional effects in art we talk about space that exists just as “real” space does. As there are different spatial dimensions and space is [...]

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 [...]

Monsters. No romance. No glorification. Monstrous creatures often appear in the paintings of some Venetian collections. In these days of fear, a new light is cast over these depictions as if, [...]

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, [...]

Photo Journalism Venice after Second World War: Interfoto Right after WW2, in 1946 a photographer involved in journalism and ex-partisan founded a photography agency in Venice. His name was Dino [...]

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 [...]

Domus Grimani 1594-2019: this is the title of the exhibition that has turned the Grimani Palace museum into a “not to miss”.  “Have you been to the Domus Grimani?” That’s the new leit motiv for [...]

Libraries in Venice are silent places reflecting hundreds and hundreds of years of the history of this city and its over one million human voices. Visiting libraries while visiting Venice is [...]

Pastries in Venice are not missing. “You will find a pastry shop at every single corner!” commented a friend of mine, not really complaining as Venice with all its bridges keeps you in shape no [...]

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 [...]

Gondola builders and the true icon of Venice Gondola builders: they are the ones that turned the gondola into the most iconic image of Venice. Is there still anybody that doesn’t connect it to [...]

Fishermen know the Venetian lagoon as no one else. This is the thought that struck my mind after meeting Giuseppe Rossi or, as everyone calls him, “Bepi Suste” from Burano.  Fishermen and the [...]

Music in Venice along the canals Music on a gondola? You visited Venice and discovered that gondoliers do not sing. Wondering if they ever did, or if it was a movie, or only in Las Vegas, right? [...]

St. George’s Anglican Church: sobriety and discreetness St. George’s Anglican Church in Venice is a monument the average visitor hardly notices. When you pass by —and you do, as the [...]

Throughout several centuries, many writers and poets dedicated their words to Venice in the attempt to describe the uniqueness of this city. Not to mention that even when you don’t name Venice, [...]

Giudecca and its industrial development Giudecca’s hidden beauty lies in its modernity. Located on the southern side of the canal leading to the tourist port, this island in Venice changed a lot [...]

Ikona Gallery and the International School of Photography by Živa Kraus Ikona Gallery is a small photography gallery in Campo del Ghetto Novo in Venice. In 2019 the gallery will be 40 years old. [...]

Reaching success in Tintoretto’s life Tintoretto reached fame and success with his art in Venice at the age of thirty (see my previous post about it). His provoking and shocking “Miracle of [...]

Tintoretto was around thirty years old in 1548 when he painted The Miracle of the Slave for the Brotherhood of St. Mark in Venice, the revolutionary manifesto of his art. Two exhibitions [...]

Swimming in a city of water is useful Swimming in Venice has always been necessary. Galliccioli in his chronicles of the 18th century connected life longevity to constant exercise in the water [...]

Tennis may not be the first sport that comes to your mind in regards to Venice. And yet, when visiting Ca’ Rezzonico Palace you see the detached fresco by Giandomenico Tiepolo featuring a racket [...]

Luthiers create musical instruments and it is thanks to them if we can hear that sound which is “a pleasure for the ears, a joy for the soul and a true delight for the eyes”. So Baldassarre [...]

Blackamoors and Diamonds Blackamoors appear on brooches only in the best jewellery shops in Venice, proudly featuring as pure Venetian tradition. Amidst gold, shining diamonds and precious [...]

Modernity and Saint Mark’s Square as an untouchable icon Modernity is not the first word that would come to your mind when talking about Saint Mark’s Square, the seat of the government in Venice [...]

A boat as an icon of Venice A boat is for sure the most iconic thing you can imagine describing the city of Venice. I am sure you are thinking of a black lacquered, slow and silent gondola, [...]

A name for extra fine face powder Face or hair powder in Italian sounds “cipria”. The Italian word evokes the island of Cyprus where Venus, the goddess of love, came from. In Venice, Cyprus was [...]

Perfume in Venice has ancient and exotic roots The story of perfume in Venice started around a thousand years ago thanks to a Greek byzantine lady, Maria Argyropoulos. St. Peter Damian described [...]

Safet Zec and his Venetian studio in Castello Safet Zec works in Venice and Sarajevo. His studio in Venice is large and beautifully illuminated by skylights and has an interesting location. It [...]

David Dalla Venezia and his atelier in Venice It was some rainy afternoon in November a few years ago when David Dalla Venezia showed his atelier in Venice to my small group of teen-agers. I [...]

Meeting with Leonardo D’Este in Venice The first time I met with Leonardo D’Este, he was not there, but there were his paintings and they deeply struck my attention. His intense portraits [...]

How the Accademia Gallery in Venice was born The year the Accademia gallery in Venice was born was devastating. In 1807 Napoleon’s troops looted the city. Guilds and brotherhoods were closed down [...]

Venice as land sounds like an oxymoron. But there was a time when the traditional source of income for the city, i.e., commerce with the East, was no longer considered promising. Instead, filling [...]

The zucchini jam from the orchards of the Venetian island of Sant’Erasmo is really sweet and tasty. After I left the Maravegia orchard, our shopping bag was full of colours and great scents. [...]

I watch the birds migrating in the sky across the Venetian lagoon. In the horizon the Dolomites are all blue, just like in Titian’s paintings or Cima da Conegliano’s. I simply find it moving. And [...]

Weaving a story about silk velvet in Venice has been a fascinating experience. So much involved. Technology, inventiveness, courage and challenges. And emotions. Weaving is… rhythm and sounds In [...]

One needs to plunder art to found an empire! When conquering a country, you cannot be happy just to get their land, their wealth or the lives of its inhabitants. It must affect history, which [...]

“How can I help Venice?” When thinking of her new book, “Dream of Venice Architecture“, JoAnn Locktov never let this difficult question slip away from her mind. The result [...]

Venice and wine, a story with deep roots. According to an ancient legend, Saint Mark was announced his burial in Venice in the place where Franciscans later would cultivate a vineyard. And that’s [...]

When Venetians loved gold more than Midas did St Mark’s square and its gilded monuments Have a look at the paintings in the Accademia Gallery by Gentile Bellini. You will discover gold leaf [...]

When visiting Venice, take your time to explore the lagoon and its islands. You will need a boat, either private or the public water bus, the vaporetto. And if you travel in a wheelchair, here is [...]

My last post on accessible Venice tours in a wheelchair attracted some interest! So here are some other insights. I hope it will help enjoy our city! Use boats in Venice when you visit in a [...]

A wheelchair in Venice “Venice is the most wonderful urban event ever existing in the world. A miracle. Venice, without wheels, is a city where nerves will keep intact…”. So [...]

I love photography. It started as many stories start, in a difficult way. Jealous of my parents that locked themselves in the darkroom to develop their black and white photos. Well, no real [...]

Venice is a city where appearance has always mattered and this shows in the façades of the buildings. A triumph of make-up: whether it expressed the immense wealth of a family or the sublimation [...]

“There is no reason to feel like Cinderella: all over Italy there is nothing like it, such a long life, such burning vitality”. So wrote the director Angela Vettese in 1990 about the BLM [...]

“about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking on the sea” (Gospel of Mark c.66-70) Water surely can be viewed as a treacherous element you would be safer to keep [...]

Recently the discussion regarding dogs in Italian museums arose in the news as some institutions in Turin let our beloved pets accompany us during our visits. Is it a sign of a civilized country [...]

There’s a square in Venice which words fail to describe. A square where gates for centuries were locked nighttime to help you know where you were. Both the ones living inside and the ones [...]

Although surrounded by water Venice has always feared fires. Wood is not just the bedrock of the whole city, it is also what all buildings inside are made of. Technically all constructions in [...]

In Venice, a city of tiny islands surrounded by water, where frontiers get liquid and blurred, can we talk about doors? This is something that has always fascinated me about Venice since I was a [...]

If there was one thing the previous owners had not planned, that was the ballroom. And yet the Rezzonicos spoke to their architect Giorgio Massari very clearly: the ballroom had to be there and, [...]

In a few days the climax of the Venetian Carnival will be reached. Guests from all over the world will wear their shimmering costumes, hide their face behind a mask and attend a [...]

“How many tiles do you think they used?” My client was looking up at the golden dome of St Mark’s church in Venice. The mosaics were glittering at their best, shining with all their faceted [...]

When I was a child, I loved going to the school library and wandering around the white metal bookshelves. I loved the Einaudi editions. They had a white cover and a beautiful red line around. I [...]

Katharine Hepburn’s eyes stare with pleasure and happiness: a ruby red glass goblet stands by the window in a shop in Venice, in the beautiful campo San Barnaba. The film is “Summertime” by David [...]

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all? A symbol for self acknowledgement better than any selfie, a symbol for the deformation of reality, a means to connect to a magical [...]

In 1739 the Council of Ten, the powerful court of the Venetian Republic, received a peculiar request from a glass blower from Murano. It was well known that those ten judges would face important [...]

Almost 30 years ago, in 1988, the Società Veneziana delle Conterie e Cristallerie (the Venetian company of Glass beads and Crystal) stopped its activity. Recently its abandoned space was [...]

While everybody knows that Murano glass is synonym for luxury, are we all aware that it could even be used as money? We are not talking about vases, chandeliers, mirrors or goblets though. We are [...]

Foulard, I love this word and its sound. When I was a child, my mum kept her foulards in her bedroom, carefully folded in the fancy rococo chest of drawers. There was one of them that I cannot [...]

Not too far from Giovanna Zanella’s shoe workshop there’s a nicely named bridge: the bridge of the “bareteri” to recall when in its sorroundings the “barete” [...]

One day, while preaching in Egypt, the patron of Venice St Mark had quite a major problem if you need to walk: the strap of his shoe fell off. He then met a cobbler and asked him if he could [...]

Carnival ended a week ago. Even this year I met enthusiastic visitors, some for the first time in Venice during these days, from Europe, Asia and America. Figures talk about 80,000 tourists in st [...]