Sep 19

Sep 19 Visiting the Island of Murano

When visiting Venice, there are (generally speaking) two additional locations that people put at the top of their lists: the outlying islands of Murano and Burano. We (and anyone else planning on making the journey) were able to visit both during the course of a single day, but they each warrant their own entry.

Murano's claim to fame is being the historical location of the Venetian glassmaking industry. Artisans from around Europe started setting up shop in Venice around the turn of the last millenium, but in 1291 the Venetian government required all glassmakers to relocate to the island of Murano. They feared that an accident at one of the foundries could set the city on fire, so everything was moved to isolate the damage in the event of such an incident.

Getting to Murano was pretty straightforward. After crossing the Grand Canal, we made our way through Cannaregio, the northernmost sestiere (district) in Venice. This district used to be the location where the Venetians required Jews to live, and was referred to as the gheto. This is the origin of the modern term ghetto, even if that meaning has been co-opted into something less serious.

One of the smaller neighborhood canals on our way to the outer edge of the district

A narrow alley of apartments

We also stumbled one of the two McDonalds in Venice!

Since both of us worked there previously, we had to check it out. Didn't eat there with so many other options available!

Rio di Santa Caterina

Collegio Gesuiti (Gesuit College) is located here

A close-up of the main entrance

Having reached the outer edge of the district, we got on the vaporetto line #12 that would take us to both islands. The ride to Murano took about 20 minutes, which took us around the Isola di San Michele. This island has a couple of chapels, but is primarily the largest cemetery in Venice.

We were greeted by the Murano lighthouse upon arrival

Almost immediately after walking into the neighborhood, the sights indicated the presence of glassmaking. I never knew there could be so MANY different glass shops! Most shops had signs in the windows showcasing their wares stating "NO PHOTOGRAPHS", which is understandable. If you can take pictures of some of the art, then some folks are less inclined to actually buy some. So while we couldn't take pictures of those, there were several sculptures that we could.

A statue of a woman. Or possibly android.

This display is titled "Comet Star", by Simone Cenedese

We wandered along the street, looking at all of the shops and their figurines. There was also a wide selection of glass jewelry and functional glassware such as bowls, plates, and cups. So many options!

Each canopy represents a different shop! Dramatic weather in the background made for great contrast

One thing we did have to keep in mind was the possibility of imported (usually Chinese) glass products being passed off as Muranese. Unfortunately, some stores have felt the pressure of cheap knock-offs, and sell them to be able to compete with the real deal (like most anything, the legitimate stuff is pricier, which turns off some tourists). There is a certification group that gives out a seal of approval, but they list about a dozen shops that are approved, which seemed like a quarter of the total shops present. So there were bound to be some folks that didn't get a stamp, but are still legitimately Murano glassmakers, which makes the search for authentic purchases much trickier.

Eventually we found ourselves in one of the less-traveled areas, and at the intersection of the main canals through the island

Panorama of the intersection, with the Museo del Vetro behind us

From here, we visited the Museo del Vetro, or Murano Glass Museum. It was only ~$10 to get in, but unfortunately, a large chunk of the museum was being renovated, and was off-limits. It showcased some of the oldest pieces of glasswork I've seen, with some of the simpler plates or glasses dating back a thousand years ago. One room also had what looked like a miniature palace garden, complete with tiny flowers, plants and other structures. Absolutely amazing.

As we made our way back towards the vaporetto stop we had been dropped off at, we finalized some of our purchase decisions. The first item jumped out at us as being the PERFECT representation of us and our blog:

I also found a piece that matched one of my (admittedly rusty) talents:

And the crowning achievement, both in terms of us finding it, and Dafny's for transporting it all the way back to Seattle intact:

This pitcher's color stripes are separate pieces of glass, somehow fused together; NOT PAINT!

Having made these purchases, we were walking back to the "bus" stop, when we decided to peek into a larger shop we had bypassed previously. It was there that we came across one of the glassmaker masters at work, with his work area visible for folks to watch the process! No pictures allowed, but we were able to see the transformation from a molten blob of glass, to a decorated drinking glass. An incredible thing to see happen right in front of us.

Then we had a 15 minute wait for the next vaporetto to arrive that would take us on to Burano (a story for another entry). Dafny took advantage of the wait to sit at the base of the lighthouse.