Spring Break

Workroom of the glassmaker

Our spring break started on Saturday, April 16^st right after we finished with all the tours around Venice. However, I enjoyed Venice so much I could not resist temptation to stay there an extra day. On this day I have visited two different islands located near Venice: Murano and Burano. Murano Island has a pretty interesting history. In 1291, the glassmakers from all around Venice were forced to move to Murano because of the risk of fires. They initially started with glass beads and mirrors, and then aventurine glass was invented on this island. Soon, Murano became the main producer of glass in Europe. Even to these days, glassmaking is still island’s main industry. On my tour to this island I got a chance to watch a master making Murano glass, which I found not only educative but also hypnotizing to watch! 

Me walking on Burano Island and wearing my Murano glass jewelry

Burano Island is located to the north of Venice, and it is considered a fisherman island. Burano is known for its lacemaking business, which started back in 16^th century. All the laces they sell on the island are handmade by women who live there; it is a very time-consuming work to do and, therefore, it is really expensive, so I was not able to purchase anything, but still it was fascinating to walk through the shops and look at all kinds of beautiful laces with different patterns. However, laces was not the main reason why I wanted to visit this island. I actually was anxious to see the Burano’s houses which are all painted in different colors. These small, bright houses with curtains and flowers make this island look like some sort of fairy town. When you walk though it you feel like at any moment you can see a fairy flying by or any other magical creature, it is hard to believe that ordinary people live in this brightly colored houses from a tale. 

Statue of David

It was difficult to leave Venice, this feeling is almost like when you have to wake up after having a beautiful dream. But it was time to go and I packed my suitcase, grabbed my ticket, and got on a train which would take me to Florence. I always wanted to go to Florence someday, which is called the Cradle of the Renaissance and home to masterpieces of art. The first thing I did when I got to Florence was visiting the Galleria dell'Accademia, which is famous for displaying Michelangelo’s “David”. I was absolutely amazed by the majesty of this glorious statue. I did not expected to be so tall and was quite surprised.

 

Incredible landscapes of Siena

There are so many other galleries and museums you can visit in Florence, but to be honest, I was a little bit tired from the big city life and wanted to escape from it for a while. Therefore, I decided to explore Tuscany region of Italy. I visited smaller cities such as Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa, and Cinque Terre. Each city is unique and famous for something. For example, Siena is famous for its almond biscuits, San Gimignano is known for its ice cream, and in Cinque Terre they make the best limoncello in Italy. So, I would try a different desert in every place I would go to, as well as, traditional Italian food and wine, which is absolutely amazing. Believe me, there is nothing better than having a glass of wine in Italy and just enjoying the view of countryside and landscapes.  
 

Taking a typical touristy picture by the tower in Pisa

The atmosphere in Italy is very relaxing, even in big cities people seem to be very chilled and easygoing. The weather was perfect, food was delicious, and landscapes were beautiful, just everything about Italy was great. If you ever feel tired and you want to find a place to escape from your problems go to Italy, this place will heal you and you will leave as a new person. After Florence I went straight to London, which immediately became my favorite place in the world. Therefore, I feel like I need to create a separate blog post just for London in order to fully describe my experience.

Relaxing by the sea in Cinque Terre

Beautiful view of Cinque Terre