In Sicily, and to a lesser extent in Venice, Romanesque design melded with Byzantine to create remarkable hybrids.
 
Romanesque elements are dearly visible in Monreale cathedral outside Palermo and St Mark's Basilica in Venice.

While the use of mosaics flourished in certain parts of Italy and penetrated to areas well beyond the influence of Byzantium (such as Rome and Florence), the use of frescoes to decorate the interior of churches also spread. 

Although no easy alternative, the fresco was less fiddly than mosaic work.