Some time ago I took a family from Monza (Lombardy) on a guided tour of the Rosenberg collection, “The Glass Ark”.
One of the kids was so enthusiastic about it, that he wrote a short text to share his experience and sent it to me. I feel so honoured! Thanks, Enrico!
Of course, he wrote in Italian and I have translated his words into English.The photos are mine, except for the last one, sent by Enrico.
Hi! My name is Enrico, I am 11 years old and I live in Monza.This morning I have visited the exhibit “The Glass Ark” in Venice, on St. George’s Island, with the guide Monica from Guided Tours in Venice.
It is a collection of animals, both realistic and imaginary, entirely made out of Murano glass.
The owner, Pierre Rosenberg, spent his entire life collecting these animals.
The rooms are organised in different biomes: the polar zones, the farm, the wood, the sea, the savannah, the pond, the domestic environment…
The Pond
The Jungle
The rooms I have mostly appreciated are the domestic environment and and the polar zones.
Cats are mi favorite pets, but also penguins and polar bears are really cute!
Cats
Polar animals
Monica explained the different techniques of glass production: the masters in Murano can produce glass that looks similar to ceramic, or to hard stones such as chalcedony, insert in their works murrine (i.e. very colorful small glass flowers), or even gold and silver.
I have been quite impressed by the ants: so tiny and fragile… you can admire them only through a magnifying glass. How has it been possible to actually make them?
Among insects there are also beautiful butterflies and bees, and also roaches, spiders, centipedes, so realistic that they make you shiver…
Ants
Butterflies
Spiders
Let me take leave with this phantasmagoric picture: can you guess which animal this is?
Strange animal
I just can’t wait to go back to Venice for some more adventures, maybe for a treasure hunt for kids!Thanks, Monica, for the wonderful experience!
Contacts: info@guidedtoursinvenice.com
