🇮🇹 Venice — City of Reflections
Arriving in Venice already felt like stepping into another world. We took a taxi from the airport — as close as we could — and then continued on foot, because in Venice, no cars can drive you in. The moment we began walking, it felt romantic, as if the whole city was floating just for us.
We crossed little bridges, wandered narrow alleys, and finally reached our stay near Rio Madonna del Orto. Every street shimmered with light from the water, and even getting lost felt beautiful.
✨ St. Mark’s & the Heart of the City
We spent sunny days walking around St. Mark’s Square (Piazza San Marco) — the heart of Venice — surrounded by music, pigeons, and a kind of golden light that never seems to fade. The square’s reflections, domes, and mosaics looked like a painting in motion.
We took a gondola ride on the Canal Grande, gliding under arched bridges while the gondolier sang softly. Gondolas are handcrafted using over 200 pieces of wood, and their curved shape is designed to balance perfectly on the waves — a true Venetian art form. Legend says that kissing under any bridge while on a gondola strengthens love or ensures eternal romance — we couldn’t resist smiling at the magic of it.
At Castello, we found more art tucked in courtyards and quiet corners. We sat at Cannaregio, tasting gelato and watching the water move like melted glass.
🎨 The Venice Biennale — “The Milk of Dreams”
We were lucky to visit during the Venice Biennale, one of the world’s most iconic art exhibitions. Each country presents its own pavilion, creating a world of ideas in one city. This year’s theme, The Milk of Dreams, felt like a dreamscape — blending art, imagination, and transformation.
💡 Artist’s Notes
Bridge of Sighs — Named because prisoners crossed it from the interrogation rooms to the prison cells; it’s said their last sigh of Venice passed through its tiny windows.
Venetian Architecture — During the Renaissance, architects competed fiercely to design flawless buildings. Any visible imperfection could lead to disgrace — or even imprisonment — as beauty was seen as a reflection of divine order.
Murano Glass & Cristallo — Venice protected its glassmaking secrets like royal treasure. On Murano Island, artisans invented cristallo, the first perfectly clear glass, so pure it was compared to crystal. Glassmakers who tried to leave the island risked severe punishment — that’s how precious their craft was.
First Glass Windows — Venetians were among the first to install clear glass windows, letting light shimmer inside homes like reflections from the lagoon.
🍝 Everyday Magic
We ate at random little eateries tucked along the canals — pasta, seafood, and endless scoops of gelato. Venice makes you feel like slowing down, savoring everything, and simply being.
When we left, we promised we’d return — because no photo or word can truly capture what it feels like to drift between sun and shadow, bridge and reflection, in the floating city of dreams.
🎨 Artist’s Palette: “Venetian Light”
As an artist, Venice felt like standing inside a living color wheel:
Lagoon Blue — translucent and shifting, never the same shade twice.
Golden Ochre — the sun warming the façades of old palazzos.
Rose Terracotta — from fading walls kissed by salt air.
Ivory Mist — the marble of bridges and domes glowing at dusk.
Shadow Green — deep reflections under every archway.
Venice doesn’t just show color — it breathes it. Every reflection tells its own story.
🗺️ Venice — Highlights & Places We Visited
San Marco Square – music, pigeons, golden light, domes and mosaics
Canal Grande – gondola rides, bridges, reflections, and the kissing legend
Bridge of Sighs – prisoners’ last glimpse of Venice
Castello & Cannaregio – hidden courtyards, gelato, quiet corners
Murano – glassmaking, cristallo, and artisan magic
Jardins & Piazzas – small squares, street art, and architectural marvels
Venice Biennale – contemporary art from all over the world, “The Milk of Dreams”
Trattorias & Gelaterias – tiny eateries with authentic pasta, seafood, and gelato
Rio Madonna del Orto – our charming base, peaceful streets, and reflections
🎨 Miniscule Venice — My Participation
Years before visiting Venice as a traveler, I had the privilege of participating in Miniscule Venice, a group exhibition curated by Vanya Balogh at Fondamenta Sant’Anna, Castello, from May 11 – July 21, 2019. The show featured over 200 international artists presenting tiny, matchbox-sized works, celebrating the art of miniatures.
My contribution explored intimate, scaled-down ideas, reflecting on childhood memories of tiny houses I used to draw obsessively. The exhibition itself was inspired by artists like Alberto Giacometti, who famously discovered that working small could capture the essence of the universe in a single, diminutive figure. Other renowned artists in the show included emerging and established figures experimenting with reduction, precision, and micro-scale storytelling.
What fascinated me most was how working miniature challenges perception: controlling a tiny world allows the viewer and the artist to see the ordinary with renewed attention, discovering detail and beauty often missed at a larger scale. Participating in Miniscule Venice taught me that sometimes, less really is more, and that scale itself can be a medium for reflection, intimacy, and playful engagement.
It felt particularly special to return to Venice later and experience the Biennale as a visitor, connecting the city’s living contemporary art scene to my own tiny artistic explorations
