Venetian Terrazzo

Venetian Terrazzo and Its Origins

Terrazzo or battuto alla veneziana is so named because it reached its highest development and splendor in the lagoon city. Its origins can be traced back to the early history of floor decoration in Greece, where floors made of river pebbles were arranged and bonded with lime or clay.

Credit is also and especially due to the artisans from Friuli for discovering and enhancing ornamental decoration, as they developed terrazzo flooring using pebbles of various colors collected from the riverbeds of the Meduna, Tagliamento, and Cellina rivers, which they called “battuto”. The terrazzo craftsmen from Friuli, attracted by the emerging commercial activity and building expansion of the lagoon center, brought their craft to Venice, where it developed so extensively that it became part of the art guilds as early as 1586.