World Beaders: Italy

Today we’re going on a trip to visit historic and beautiful Italy, home of Murano and Venetian glass. I was very excited to see Italy on Inspirational Beading’s list of top visitors recently - it is one of the most notable countries in bead culture, and not just for its deep origins of glass bead making. The technique and term millefiori comes from Italy, and is used by glass and polymer clay artists all over the world. The tiny village of Torre del Greco near Naples is one of the world’s best sources of hand harvested red coral.

Along with innovations in glasswork and bead making, Italy has also given birth to many wonderful things such as the piano, the thermometer, cologne, eyeglasses, espresso machines, the typewriter, and of course, pizza. As one of the world’s most loved dishes, the word pizza is recognized in almost every language and culture, although the recipes and styles vary from region to region.

Italy’s capital is one of the most known and well recognized in the world. Rome was the center of Western civilization for centuries, and continues to be an important cultural and historical destination. Italy is visited by more than 43 million tourists every year, including religious pilgrimages such as the Easter or Pasqua ceremonies in Rome. Art and history lovers also flock to see the amazing landmarks such as the canals of Venice, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Colosseum, and the Sistine Chapel.

Happy beading, Italy!

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