Viva Venice Handmade - A Photo Essay of Sorts

Ok...so this post is long overdue, but better late than never, right?

Last year my travels took me to Venice where I found a kindred spirit...in the handmade kind of way. Meet Mauro Vianello of Glass Handmade. Mauro makes incredible handmade glass figurines.

Immediately upon entering the shop we were impressed and excited by the level of detail and artistry of Mauro's amazing creations.

Rated one of the top attractions by Trip Advisor, Mauro's quaint little shop sits outside the regular touristy part of the city and is well worth the short trip to find.

Mauro made us feel as though we were old friends. He told us about his craft, his passion for handmade, and even gave us a little demonstration asking us what we wanted him to make for us. We told him to surprise us, which turned out to be a great move (apparently people always ask for cats and dogs :)). See if you can figure out what he made for us.

Figured it out yet? :)

Yep! It's a swan...who very soon after was dubbed "Swanie". Welcome to the world, Swanie!

Swanie needed a little time to cool down...which of course gave us a little time to shop.

There was no way we were going to go home with only one new friend from this amazing collection, especially since my friend and I were already having custody disputes over Swanie.

So here's the part where I admit, it wasn't me that found this little gem, but my friend and travel partner. It was thanks to his insistence (yes it's hard to believe, but I resisted at first) that I got to have this wonderful experience. I gave up custody of Swanie and it was a difficult choice, but we ended up taking home just three new friends and making a fourth in Mauro. If you are ever in Venice, don't miss out on visiting Mauro! Of course no matter where you are you can visit his website.