shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileGreece

in the Gulf of Elounda, off the eastern coast of Crete

Spinalonga

Name: Spinalonga — on ceramic tile, by WenderVista
Brand: WenderVista

— — the island that kept its own years.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.

— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand

— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines

— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall

— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround

— a note from the studio

“A small fortified island at the mouth of the Elounda lagoon, walled by the Venetians in 1579 against Ottoman raids. From 1903 to 1957 it served as a leper colony, the last in Europe, with its own bakery, shops, and church. Boats run out from Elounda and Plaka in the summer. The walls hold their corners against the sea, and the houses keep their painted doors. from the studio

from the studio

— bring it home

Spinalonga, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?

One tile — square or rectangle.

How big?

the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand

6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb

Surface finish

A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.

How it sits

A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.

$58

Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.

— size

6 × 6 in

15 cm

— weighs

1.6 lb

solid in the hand

— surface

ceramic, hand-finished

art rests beneath a thin glossy finish

— from

Knoxville, TN

our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies

— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Spinalonga

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.

— the place

Spinalonga is a small island of roughly eight and a half hectares at the northern entrance to the Gulf of Mirabello, off the village of Plaka in eastern Crete. The Republic of Venice fortified the island in 1579 as part of a chain of sea defenses against the Ottomans, and the fortress held out until 1715, decades after the rest of Crete had fallen. The island lies within the regional unit of Lasithi, about ten kilometers north of Agios Nikolaos.

— informed by Wikipedia, Greek Ministry of Culture

— the stone

The Venetian engineer Genese Bressani designed the bastioned fortifications that ring the island, cut from local limestone and laid on the natural ridge of the islet. Inside the walls, a small town grew around a single curving main street: bakery, taverna, church of Saint Panteleimon, cisterns, a hospital. From 1903 to 1957 the island held the last leper colony in Europe; residents were allowed to keep their property, run shops, and marry one another. The Greek state has restored much of the fabric since 2002.

— informed by Ephorate of Antiquities of Lasithi

— the visit

Day boats run from Elounda, Plaka, and Agios Nikolaos roughly from April through October, crossing in fifteen to thirty minutes. The Hellenic Ministry of Culture charges a small admission to the archaeological site. A single one-way loop carries visitors past the Venetian gate, the bastions, the leper-colony main street, and the church before returning to the dock. Plaka, the closest village on Crete, sits less than half a kilometer across the channel and serves grilled fish facing the island.

— informed by Visit Greece

— where

Greece · Lasithi, Crete

— position

35.2989° N · 25.7397° E

— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.

1 km W

Plaka

fishing village

6 km S

Elounda

harbour town

12 km S

Agios Nikolaos

regional capital

Spinalonga

Plaka

Elounda

Agios Nikolaos

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Spinalonga — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

Spinalonga lies in the Gulf of Mirabello, at the northern entrance to the Elounda lagoon in eastern Crete, about ten kilometers north of Agios Nikolaos and a short crossing from the village of Plaka.

The Republic of Venice fortified the island in 1579 under the engineer Genese Bressani as part of a chain of sea defenses against the Ottoman Empire across the eastern Mediterranean.

From 1903 to 1957, Spinalonga served as the leper colony of Crete and the last such colony in Europe. Residents kept their property, ran shops, married, and elected a small council.

Venice held Spinalonga until 1715, more than five decades after the fall of Candia in 1669, when the rest of Crete had already passed to the Ottoman Empire by treaty.

Day boats run from Elounda, Plaka, and Agios Nikolaos roughly from April through October. The crossing from Plaka takes about fifteen minutes; from Elounda or Agios Nikolaos, longer.

Yes. Victoria Hislop's 2005 novel The Island, set on Spinalonga during the leper-colony years, brought wide international attention to the site and to the village of Plaka opposite it.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful gift for customers who summered in Elounda or read The Island. A Small with a handwritten note from the studio carries the fortress home.

The blues, ochres, and pale stone read well with Greek Coastal-modern, Mediterranean Minimalist, and lime-washed Aegean rooms. The piece sits naturally above a whitewashed console or a plaster wall.

Yes. The piece pairs with the current Mediterranean modern look common in coastal homes: lime-washed plaster, pale woods, linen, and a single grounded landmark hung as the center of the wall.

A single Large covers most consoles. Above a standard sofa we recommend a four-tile Mural; above a long sectional, a nine-tile Mural anchors the wall.

Yes, in Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both resist scratches and steam, and either works for a backsplash, a powder room, or a shower wall.

A soft microfibre cloth with water lifts dust and fingerprints. Avoid abrasive pads and solvent cleaners; the colour lives in the ceramic surface, not on top of it.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is made in our studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. There is no licensing and no third-party catalog behind the work.

— if this one stayed with you