The Venetian Lagoon

After taking in the sights of Florence, I took the train just a few hours back to my beloved Venezia.  Thankfully, I was able to do a fair amount of sightseeing with my students in May.  We visited all of the famed, and very busy, tourist sights like Piazza San Marco, the Campanile, Murano, Burano and the Rialto market with half the crowds of the peak season.  This time, I vowed to stay mostly off the tourist track.  Being summer, there were scads of visitors in Venezia, most just passing through for a day or maybe staying a night so I opted to spend my first full day in Venice out of the main city touring the lagoon.  

Just before you get to Murano you pass the cimitero, the cemetery island of San Michele.  I was the only person who got off the vaporetto there and spent a lovely hour wandering through history as I explored the burial grounds of Venetians past.  This would have been a fantastic place to take photos, but I decided to honor the dead and respect the no photo rule.  From there, I went on to Murano and found my way to the Basilica di Santa Maria Donata that my previous Orsoni classmates had recommended with mosaic floors from the 14th century.  What a hidden treasure!

I love finding little mosaic tidbits all over the island.

It was a glorious day for a stroll in Murano.

This mosaic ceiling is really lovely in person.

These mosaic floors date back to the 14th century (I think!)

So intricate and beautiful

A blooming flower?  A flame? 

From Murano I took a 30 minute ferry ride to Burano, then a five minute boat ride to Torcello.  This was my first visit to the tiny island and I definitely didn't stay long enough to truly appreciate its charm. The church on Torcello has absolutely phenomenal mosaics, but sadly no photos allowed.  Nevertheless, I met some really interesting stone figures just begging to be photographed and I happily obliged.

The lady of Torcello seems to have weathered a lifetime on this island

My final stop in the lagoon was Burano.  Awed by the brightly colored buildings on my first visit, I vowed to go back this summer when the weather was more formidable (i.e. when it wasn't pouring rain).  Don't get me wrong, the colors of Burano are wonderful when the skies are gray, but they are so much more impressive on a clear, sunny day.  The most intriguing view is the reflection of the brilliant colors in the canals.  Take a look...

Pretty amazing, right?

  
When I returned to the Canareggio, I got straight to work designing my second mosaic piece in preparation for the three day workshop starting the following day.  It felt so nice to be back in the familiar workspace, surrounded by beautiful materials and wonderful, interesting people.  It's amazing what you can learn from pieces of glass...more on that soon!