August 19, Tues. It was a good last day. We spent our it travelling by vaporetti to Burano and Torcello.
Burano, an island to the northeast of Venice, was the center of lace making. There used to be a school for teaching the craft there. The school has been converted into an excellent little museum that shows examples. The films of the women sewing lace were particularly interesting.
Burano lace is needle lace; it is made up of stitches and knots; it is not tatted.
Lunch: Ravioli with a pumpkin sauce. Local white wine. A lovely outdoor setting.
After lunch, we went on to Torcello. Torcello was one of the first islands in the Lagoon to be settled by refugees from Attila the Hun in the 6th century CE. Today, there is little left: Torcello has largely been abandoned.
The original basilica and the related museum.
The Basilica of S Mary Assunta has splendid mosaics. The earliest ones are made from Ravenna materials.
THe hell in the lower right includes has the damned being raked into hell.
Also, it has a wonderful floor:
The museum is small. The archaeology section has artifacts from around the Lagoon going back to the paleolithic times. A lot of Greek pottery reached here through trade.
On the way back we stopped at the Church of Santa Maria Assunta dei Gesuiti.
Dinner. We crossed the Grand Canal and went back to Donna Onestia. Pasta dishes and a local merlot. Panna cotta and lemon sorbet.
Wednesday, August 20
Our last vaporetto ride - to the airport. We are in London, Sumner hotel.
roast beef and horseradish sandwich at the pub next door. Excellent cider.
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