The history of terrazzo can be traced back to the ancient mosaics of Egypt, but the form of terrazzo used today derives partly from the 18th century “pavimento all Veneziana”, or Venetian pavement.
It is a composite material, poured in place, and is used for floor and wall treatments. It consists of chips of marble, quartz, granite, and/or glass and is poured with a binder and then smoothed and polished. It is gorgeous and is my favorite flooring by far. Every time I see it I want to immediately get down and touch the smooth surface and then maybe roll around on it. I don’t, but I want to.
We saw many variations of terrazzo during our stay in Venice. The first one was from inside the Doge’s Palace. The one above was in the lobby of our hotel, the Palazzo Canova.
The two below were from the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, which if you recall was her palazzo when she was alive. Which means she woke up every day to this beautiful terrazzo.
These are generally inside floors. But outside, along the walkways of Venice you’ll sometimes see advertisements made of tile that are reminiscent of terrazzo. Here are a few we ran across as we walked the streets of Venice.
This is an old American Express advertisement, back from when the American Express office was an important place for travelers. You could exchange your traveller’s cheques for cash, pick up your mail, plan tours, and buy train tickets. So knowing where the American Express office was located was important. We didn’t look, but bet there is no longer an American Express office open in Venice.
Here is an ad for a local company that produces glass art, most notably mosaics and chandeliers. They are descended from the Compagnia di Venezia e Murano, which was found in 1866. They have a rich history of glass tile making, including setting up a display of thousands of works at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. They even set up a kiln so that the public could observe the company’s glass blowing techniques.
This one is mosaic that leads to a long gone night club in Venice. But the tiles are a beautiful blue!
And lastly, my favorite.
Alitalia has been Italy’s airline since 1946. Just look at the gorgeous deep blue mosaic.
Not all the beauty in Venice is found on the ceilings, so make sure you look down once and a while!
