Sightseeing around Venice generally involves sticking your nose up in the air marveling at historic buildings and sprawling vistas, but that’s only half the show. The other half lies underneath your feet. Few tourists and even Venetians have paid any attention to the city’s amazing mosaic floors despite walking over them every day. So when German photographer Sebastian Erras was in Venice, he turned his camera down and captured these beautiful yet unappreciated work of art.
Sebastian discovered that floors can be beautiful too when he was visiting Marrakech, in Morocco, a few months ago. When he went back to Paris, where he lives, he started seeking out floors. “I had no idea there was such a variety of floors in Paris. It’s like a treasure hunt.” He then went to Venice and did the same there for an interactive article on website Pixartprinting.
“In a city built on water” – the travel writer John Julius Norwich pointed out – “the endlessly shimmering reflections of churches and palaces constantly attracted the gaze [of Venetians] downward”. So they made that vision even more joyful through luxurious floors. Paving is a serious issue in Venice: stone keeps out damp from the lagoon and drives the summer’s heat away.
“I was curious to discover a new side of Venice that is probably not so well known, as people usually don’t pay attention to floors”, Sebastian Erras said. “A lot of these are hidden in churches and monuments. People who live there have told me, ‘I walk here every day and I never noticed the floors’. It’s a different way of discovering a city.”
Palazzo Pisani Moretta
Ca’ Sagredo Hotel
Palazzo Pisani Moretta
Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca’ d’Oro
Scuola Grande San Giovanni Evangelista
Scuola Grande San Giovanni Evangelista
Scuola Grande di San Rocco
Sestiere di San Marco
Laboratorio Orsoni
Negozio Olivetti - Piazza San Marco,
Teatro La Fenice
Sale Apollinee, Teatro La Fenice
Caffè Florian
Sestiere San Marco
Sestiere Santa Croce
Foundation Querini Stampalia Onlus
Alliance Française di Venezia
Alliance Française di Venezia
Alliance Française di Venezia
The first paragraph or introduction to your piece is quite off-putting. Why would you assume that most people do not notice beautiful floors? It is a negative way to begin! The floors you do show are quite beautiful. Don't drag your article down by insulting those who are most interested in looking at it.
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