Murano, Italy is a series of islands connected with bridges, located about a mile north of Venice. It is famous for its glass making and is relatively easy to get to for a day trip from Venice.
Murano glassmaking dates back to 1291 when the Venetian Republic feared that the fires would destroy their city due to its mostly wooden buildings. They demanded glassmaking be moved to Murano. Throughout the years, Murano’s glassmakers created a monopoly for glassmaking while discovering different types of glass such as milk glass, multicolored glass, clear glass, and many more.
Getting to Murano, Italy
If you’e visiting Venice, Murano is only a quick water taxi ride away. Once you arrive, you’re able to sit in on a glass making presentation, and stay very, very warm during it.
Our glassmaker created a horse in about three minutes from what looked to be a round ball of dough. That’s just the beginning of what the Vetreria Venier factory held.
There are myriads of creations. The glass creations range from earrings and frames to large chandeliers, miscellaneous decor, and glass sculptures. The creations span multiple floors of the building.
There’s a guided tour of the factory explaining different pieces and which each piece represents or what type of glass it contains. Each glass structure is one-of-a-kind, but can be recreated with different colors by request. Just a heads up: Glass is much more expensive than you may think.
If you plan to go here as a day trip from Venice, be sure to plan at least half a day. You’ll want time to watch a demonstration and shop around.