Torcello

Last week, we had a study trip to the Islands.
We met at Fondamente Nove and caught the Vaporetto to Torcello. It was quite a grey day, but rather than making us all miserable, it made our journey slightly eerie as we glided through the channel over to the island.

As you can see, I just couldn't stop taking photographs. There was something about the completely flat surface of the water that made everything seem somewhat magical.
We drifted past various other islands, and little Italian houses appeared as we got closer.

Finally, we arrived at our waterway into Torcello.

Torcello is absolutely tiny, and has only a few inhabitants. It used to be pretty important though, but everyone left way back in history due to the presence of malaria.
The malaria has now gone (phew), but there are a couple of great churches and a museum to see, hence our visit.
Well, we were mainly there for Torcello Cathedral.
We left the vaporetto and headed into the centre of Torcello for our site visit.

Chiesa di Santa Fosca, Torcello

After a quick lecture about the history of the island, we headed over to ruins of the baptistry which our lecturer, Giorgio, pondered intently...

We split into two groups and headed inside the Cathedral.
It's pretty impressive. Architecturally it has a Basilican plan with a single nave, two lateral aisles, and three apses.
But that's not what makes it impressive.
The mosaics are...

Huge beautiful golden wonders.
They are actually reconstructions of the originals (everything changed after the Cathedral was abandoned) but nevertheless, they are stunning.
The west facade has a huge mosaic consisting of 5 registers and includes a Last Judgement scene, while the various apses are decorated with subjects such as the Virgin and Child.

If you want to avoid the touristy hype of Venice, head to Torcello to see this fantastic art/architecture. You can wander around on your own for hours - no fighting your way through crowds! Remember to take mosquito repellent though, else you'll pretty much get eaten alive.
I also read that there's a really great restaurant there that is frequented by celebrities! Alas, I didn't get to try it myself - I'd already made myself a packed lunch like a good little girl on a school trip. Too cool, huh?