Veneziana

"A Venezia l'architettura dà le emozioni della musica."
(Carlo Dossi, Note azzurre, 1870/1907)

The “Veneziana” has survived style and fashion changes for centuries thanks also to the customers who here in Veneto…

Omino Pellizzari su pavimento alla veneziana

Veneziana flooring in Vicenza

The Veneziana has survived fashions and style changes for centuries thanks to the culture people have here in Veneto to appreciate the priceless value of a handmade floor.

If you want to know the history of the Veneziana terrace, come and visit us in our showrooms in Arzignano and Gambellara (Vicenza). We will tell you all about the origins of this flooring and how it’s uniqueness spread to: Padova, Treviso, Vicenza, Verona…

We will have an easy game in explaining the refinement, elegance and style that this floor expresses! The elegance and style that Venice has taught the world with its Palaces along the Grand Canal and the wonderful Venetian Villas that have taught the world the beauty of architecture.

If you are unable to visit us in our showrooms but you are curious about the history of the Veneziana:

Storia del terrazzo alla veneziana

I terrazzi alla Veneziana: le origini

Born to solve a problem, to be able to follow the movements of the Venetian palaces, we find the Veneziana floor in some of the most beautiful Venetian architectures.

An example is the wonderful floor of the Sala del Gran Consiglio of Palazzo Ducale, whose dimensions - impressive for the time - were covered with a single floor, without splitting joints.

Another example is the floor of Villa Capra called la Rotonda in Vicenza, the best known of the villas designed by Andrea Palladio.

The Venetian floors of Ca 'Rezzonico are marvelous, here too two huge halls have been completely paved with a layer of hand-glazed Veneziana, the oldest one on the first floor while the one on the second floor dates back to 1700.

The Modern Veneziana

If manual dexterity and artistic taste are still necessary even today, the realization of a Venetian terrazzo floor takes place using different materials and techniques compared to distant ancestors. Today lime has been replaced by cement, a binder that allows far shorter processing times, even if it does not allow the elasticity that made this floor famous.

In addition, polishing is no longer a long and tiring process to be done by hand, but takes place thanks to 4-head sander that allows you to polish the floor of a house in a few hours.

Of course, the styles and aesthetics also change: the decorations of the end of the eighteenth century are no longer fashionable and the rich carpets and inlays have given way to more homogeneous and uniform plain colors. It must be said that decoration methods exist also for modern Veneziane, an example for all is that of the Olivetti shop in Venice with the Veneziana designed by Scarpa.

Il costo del pavimento alla Veneziana

The question we receive most frequently is to know the price of the Veneziana. It must be said that it is one of the most expensive floors, for the use of manual skills necessary, for the long processing times, for the need to protect it with a treatment ...

In short, it is a long and complex job and for this reason the cost exceeds 100 euros per square meter.

If you want to examine in more detail the price of a Veneziana you can find all the information here:

Il costo di un pavimento alla veneziana

Veneziana flooring in Verona

Little Amelia plays with the bright micro fragments of her Veneziana flooring. We made this flooring in Albaredo d’Adige (Verona).

A modern Veneziana floor in Vicenza

The Veneziana chosen for this home in Arzignano (Vicenza) is light and modern in color, but not cold. The brightness of the floor allows the large stove to mirror itself, reflecting the flame around it. The floor will change according to the days, bringing inside the house the blue sky and the movement of the clouds. How not to envy the proud owner?

Beige Veneziana

Veneziana problems

As we often say on the site "there is no perfect floor". We have also tried to explain the differences between the various floors in order to help you choose the best one for you in an article: il miglior pavimento per casa tua.

In this article we have compared the various floors including the Veneziana one and we have highlighted what are the limits of this floor:

absorbency / permeability and therefore vulnerability to stains.
On this see also: "stains in the Venetian blind, how to clean them?".
possibility of the floor cracking due to movements and adjustments of the home
difficulty in repairing the cracks or breakages from falling objects

To these "defects" must be added the slipperiness: a mirror polished floor is slippery force. This for some may not be a defect but the safety in the movements must be evaluated.

Finally, we must consider the cost which, as we said, places it among the most expensive floors on the market.

Veneziana problems: Cracked Veneziana

The cracking in a Venetian floor caused by the lack of fractionation joint at an edge. The recessed corner in a room is one of the critical elements to which a joint must always correspond. We talked about it here: "joints on the floors".

Veneziana characteristics

If you can appreciate the delicacy of a not perfectly flat surface, a not perfectly uniform shine, a slight irregularity in the sowing ... in these cases you can fully enjoy the Veneziana, and its characteristics (certainly not defects!) That make it a floor wonderful and unrepeatable.

Click here to find out more:

Il terrazzo alla veneziana