Two amazing weeks of study at Domus Orsoni. 
“Feeling like Leonardo Da Vinci under the Medicis Patronage”
 
 
There is no direct flights between Tel Aviv and Venice, but the journey is not very long. Arriving in Venice is magical. As soon as you have this immediate contact with the water, it astounds you.
 
 
I went to Venice, Italy, for two weeks to take part in a mosaic master course at Lucio Orsoni‘s School of Mosaics.
 
Domus Orsoni is in Canarreggio, a neighbourhood located at the upper edge of Venice where the old Jewish ghetto stands.
What an inviting, friendly, quiet, and picturesque neighbourhood, within a day you feel like a local… There are plenty of little shops and intimate wine bars, some tiny markets with fresh food, the smell is strong and the atmosphere pleasant and quiet.
 
Your mean of transportation are your legs. You can only walk in the small “Calle” and the “Fondamenta”. All Venetians seem slim to me, they have no choice but to keep in shape!
 
Domus Orsoni is a big estate, a pink-colored façade with a long corridor opening on wide rooms. An enchanting garden is located in the middle of the property dividing the office and the hotel area from the enterprise side.
 
On the ground floor, in the main entrance, you have an exhibition of the artworks of Master Lucio Orsoni and some of his pupils.
 
Lucio is the grand-son of Angelo Orsoni, the founder of Orsoni enterprise. “The unacceptable temptations of the industrial age are firmly rejected in the factory’s everyday work, as is clear from one glance around the workshop. Production is still anchored to the slow rhythms needed to create works of the finest craftsmanship.”
 
On the first floor, there are six original bedrooms, a huge patio with comfortable sofas, and tables with lots of magazines, a dining room, and close by an illuminated studio and a lovely terrace with geraniums on the balcony ramps, facing the garden.
 
Orsoni mosaic school offers two programs: A one-week workshop and a two-week workshop.
 
I took the two-week master class.

There is a maximum of six participants: With me, there was one Sicilian, two Americans, one Canadian, and one Greek. All of us ladies!
 
A week is a 5 day-class, starting at 09:00 AM, a break between 13:00 and 14:30, and ending at 17:00. Those of us who stayed at the Domus could use the studio at any time of the day.
 
Our instructor was Antonella, a mosaic artist with 25 years of experience. Mirta was our interpreter. Master Lucio Orsoni would come every day to overlook our work. During our course, we went to see the San Marco Basilica and Torcello. We were accompanied by an art historian, the lovely Sabina.

Besides that, we had the honor of two visits from mosaic teachers and masters from other schools: Master Giulio Candussio and Master Bruno Zenobio.
 
We were in such a conducive atmosphere, it was intense, interesting and enjoyable at the same time.
 
We had an abundance of materials and colors, anything we wanted was there for us.
 
We had our own working table with a table-lamp, all the necessary tools, a big wooden block with a hardie and our own hammer; everyone got a new apron, and here we were ready for work with all the various colors and tones of smalti available. The feeling of having it all gave us confiedence. Any request was taken care of immediately. The factory was at our feet, we knew that any factory worker could dedicate some time for cutting stones if we needed it, for the purpose of our Art. Isn’t it an amazing feeling of cooperation? This is the dream of any artist: to have all the means, all the materials, the best working conditions, the most competent teachers, and the most encouraging atmosphere and fellow artists to delve into your own art.

Venice invites you to such special atmospheres, Orsoni contributes to your well-being, for when you are there, you get the mood and the muse for creativity.

“Arranging mosaic tesserae, painstakingly hand-cut, one by one, is a fascinating game, a constant gamble that pays off in the most unexpected way, providing the artist with all the pleasure of brushwork and the joy of creating a unique work of art.”

It was for me, a memorable experience.