Who knew something celebrated first more than 400 years ago could be so pertinent to our lives in the 21st Century?The third Sunday of July is Redentore, a celebration of the end of the plague of 1575-1577 which decimated the population of Venice. More than 46,000 or about 25-30% of the population died in this…
Category: Venice, Murano
Festa della Sensa, Venice Marriage to the Sea
The Festa de la Sensa is held each year to celebrate the marriage of Venice to the Sea. It was first celebrated on 9 May 1000 when the Doge Pietro II Orseolo conquered Dalmatia (parts of which are now known as Croatia) The second was in 1177 when The Doge Sebastiano Ziani, Pope Alexander II…
Update from Murano
The latest from Murano during their shut down. They are in their 9th week and now a few things are beginning to open. It is a welcome for everyone, that they may, hopefully, begin getting their espresso and cappuccino again soon.Venice has been extremely fortunate to have few cases of COVID19 and still in Murano,…
Letter from Murano
Since we started importing some 30 years ago, my suppliers have become like family to us. And by extension their families feel the same way. This is an extremely difficult time for Murano whose lifes and livelihoods have been threatened many times in history. The older generation can still remember World War II and the…
Carnevale 2020 Venice
Carnevale Venice is something everything should see at least once. Scenes like this one you find all over the city with people in elegant costumes doing very normal things like having their morning coffee or on the vaporetto. It is a bit sureal with people in costumes from the 1700 and 1800 centuries texting and…
Carnevale Ends with the Flight of the Leone
For those of you who follow VenetianBeadShop, you know that we are in Venice “working” and enjoying Carnevale. The weather has been beautiful, warmer than usual. Today is the closing and it ends with the flight of the Leone. When I first went to Carnevale, I thought someone dressed as a lion would slideup the…
Redentore 2017
Redentore 2017 Venice Celebrating the End of the Plague by blogvenice • July 24, 2017 • 0 Comments The end of the plague is always a cause for celebration, even if it ended in 1576. And fortunately, for all of us, the Doge Alvise Mocenigo kept his promise and built the magnificent Church of the Redeemer aka Il Redentore which…
Glass Conference in Murano and Fashion Show
The island of Murano was host to the GAS (Glass Art Society) with world wide participation. Everyone who works with glass paid tribute to the heritage of Murano. This week it was evident and the pure joy and excitement of the students of glass as they wandered around the island was abundantly obvious. While I…
Abate Zanetti in Murano – Technical School
Murano has converted the Abate Zanetti School of Glass into a technical institute. Abbot Vincenzo Zanetti founded the school in 1826 as a design school for the glass workers of Murano, fought to improve the living and working conditions on the island and pay standards. It continues to offer glass classes attended by blowers and bead makers from…
Not Just a Gondola
Every day in Venice is a new adventure. Early morning walks before the tourist arrive are the best. I met Massimo one morning and discovered his wonderful project, along with others to teach disadvantaged youth skills and support fair trade. The gondola, a symbol of Venice, is also a symbol of a future for these…