The Northern Italy Mosaic Study Tour kicked off in Venice with a spectacular after-hours, fully illuminated private tour of the Basilica of San Marco. This dazzling beginning was followed by a private water taxi guided tour of Venice – La Serenissima, guided visits to Orsoni glass factory in Cannaregio and the Basilica at Torcello, the islands of Burano and Murano, Peggy Guggenheim Museum and Venice’s opera house, La Fenice. The Venice visit was beautifully book-ended with a private tour of the Venetian wooden boat museum, Arzanà Squero, and a night ride home through quiet canals back to our Palazzo in Cannaregio.
A short scenic journey by chartered bus to the Roman city of Aquileia in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, revealed unimagined archaeological treasures from this little known ancient city, a place arguably rivalling Pompeii for scale and historical importance. Then to the nearby town of Spilimbergo, home to the world famous Scuola di Mosaico, for a visual blast of the best of contemporary mosaic practice, and a short course led by Maestra Carolina Zanelli.
The third and final destination was the Emilia-Romagna city of Ravenna, famous for its UNESCO World Heritage Byzantine monuments and their resplendent golden mosaics. Tour participants got their hands dirty once again, doing a fascinating double-reverse method mosaic course at Koko Mosaico, using feature details from Ravenna Basilicas as inspiration. Evenings enjoying fine wining and dining across some of Ravenna’s best restaurants completed another memorable mosaic study tour, before the tour ended in Ravenna.
