From Piazzale Roma we cross the bridge of Calatrava, the fourth on the Canal Grande, inaugurated in the 2008 and continue in direction of Rialto along the Fondamenta Santa Lucia, leaving us on the left of the train station and then along the crowded Lista di Spagna.
Arrived in Campo San Geremia, we continue to the homonymous Salizada and passed the Ponte delle Guglie, we turn left to the foundation parallel to the canal, then we pass the entrance of the Ghetto along the Fondamenta di Cannaregio and, at the height of the Sotoportego dei Vitelli, we turn right cutting the civic 1045, headquarter of the historical Ditta Angelo Orsoni Mosaici.
Here we are catapulted into the umpteenth evocative microcosm of pure Venezia! Just cross the gate and get into the garden, the first crucibles appears, the furnace where the colored priaste and the precious gold leaf, and the workshop where the mosaic tile is cut manually.
At the end of the courtyard, there is a warehouse, a real color library, with long wooden shelves where the glass tablets diligently divided and numbered by color are kept.
An infinite rainbow of colors and shades, before which one would spend hours, bewitched by so much light and beauty.
Born at the end of the nineteenth century in Murano (at the time the kilns had to stay away from the historical center to limit the risk of fires), the Orsoni Company has carved out a leading position on the market.
Every year millions of colored glass tesserae come from his workshop to create the most beautiful mosaics in the world: from those of the Toronto National Theater to the gigantic Buddha di Signhaburya in Thailand; great of the Dresdner Bank di Francoforte to the Golden Hall of the Stockholm City Hall where every year the Nobel Price Ceremony takes place.
Here, at the Cannaregio headquarters, you can admire the Mosaic Gallery, which contains several works by Lucio Orsoni; you can watch the production of glazes and buy colored cards directly.
And that’s not all: for some years now, the Orsoni Company has been organizing a Masters in Mosaic “Vivere la Bottega Veneziana-History, theory and application of the Musiva art”, where can participate architects, artists, simple enthusiasts and anyone interested in discover the techniques of the mosaic and the secrets for cutting the slabs. www.orsoni.com
At this point we cannot escape from completing the path of the glass we leave by steamboat to Murano (line 5 from the pier opposite the entrance to the Ghetto), where sand and fire continue to be the main ingredients of an art as old as it is prestigious. Here, the incandescent bolus is still blowing as tradition commands.
Disembarked, we are spoiled for choice among a myriad of laboratories and showrooms filled with vases, goblets, glasses, lamps, sculptures and other wonders as fragile as they are irresistible.
The effect is almost dazzling, a stun of reflections and colors! Many of these producers belong to the Consorzio Murano Glass, which distinguishes each piece with its own brand, to guarantee its full originality and authenticity.
At the end of this tour, of course, you cannot miss a visit to the Museo dell’Arte Vetraria, in Fondamenta Giustinian 8, where you can admire historical artifacts by master glassmakers between the fifteenth and seventeenth century.
At the tourist promotion company of the Province of Venice and the Area of Venice, Castello 5050, www.turismovenezia.it and at the Tourist Information and Assistance Office (IAT) of the Santa Lucia Railway Station you can have all the useful information for your stay, a map of the city and news on events. At the site www.hellovenezia.com you will find useful tips on events, transport, timetables, Venice Card .
If you love Venice, you can read also: Stunning Venice first part
Stunning Venice second part