Jeff and Adele Talmadge recently returned from a trip to Europe where they went to Italy and Croatia to visit some friends and family. While they went just to see some new sights and to relax, Jeff and Adele came back with some great memories and some new found inspiration for their own backyard remodel. Take a look through some of their memorable moments and thoughts on their trip.
Jeff & Adele above the Canals of Venice
THE DESTINATION
Adele and I went to Italy and Croatia in the middle of May to visit family and friends. We spent time in Venice, Murano Island, Ancona, and then took a ferry over to Croatia where we stayed in Split and in Dubrovnik.
NOTABLE VISITS
In Venice, we visited the house of Peggy Guggenheim, the American art collector, whose home has been converted into a museum of modern art. Murano Island is very famous for its glasswork, and there we visited a few shops and factories where we saw how they make their glass sculptures. These intricate sculptures look like twisted glass flowers. In Split, Croatia, we stayed at a house that was just a quick walk from the beach, and Adele had fun searching for sea glass on the sand. In Croatia we also visited Plitvice National Park where we hiked around on wooden walkways that are elevated above beautiful blue lakes and surrounded by gorgeous waterfalls.
Hiking in Plitvice National Park
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
So much of the area is filled with historic old-walled buildings that have character that stretches back hundreds of years. The churches in Europe are incredibly detailed and always impressive. Throughout Italy and Croatia, we saw quite a few interesting tile and mosaic floors that gave us some great inspiration.
FINDING INSPIRATION
In our own home we are looking to incorporate a mosaic tile rug in our outdoor remodel, which was directly influenced from what we saw in Italy. We’d like to incorporate a mosaic tile rug in the outdoor dining area of our backyard. When we stayed with Adele’s cousin, they had a great lightweight looking Arbor made from iron. This arbor extended above their outdoor space and was covered in vines. We are considering adding something like this to our own outdoor remodel, and we may also recommend it to some of our clients.
Mosaic Tile in Murano
Dubrovnik from Above
HISTORY
There is so much limestone. It seems like everything is made of limestone. For the most part, their homes don’t have as much space as we have in America, but many of their buildings are rich with culture and history. Many of the streets are very old, some of which were built back in 200-300 AD.
PEOPLE
It was really neat to visit Dubrovnik, Croatia and see how so much of the culture is focused on providing great service. Everything is so clean. Everyone is polite, and they all speak various languages. The whole time, I kept meeting people that had the kind of attitude and charm that reminded me of my employees back at home.
A Church in Dubrovnik
Seaglass & a Bison Tooth Found on the Beach
Glass Scupture in Murano