Murano island, the Venetian “glass island”

The glass and vases of Murano are known all over the world. But what are the component of the glass ? Glass is product created from silicon mixtures (quartz, sand, sodium, iron, calcium, and more). To create coloured glass, the artisan add some metallic oxides for different colors.Cobalt for blue, Copper for red, and so on.

The Murano glass was born in 1295 when Venetian Republic ordered glassmakers to move their foundries to Murano, because in Venice too much wood buildings was burnt during glass making.
Murano glass industries were soon to become very important on an international level, especially for blown glass and vases.

Especially the typical products include crystalline glass, enameled glass, glass with threads of gold, milk glass, multicolored glass techniques, imitated in many countries throughout the world, but the original glass of Murano it's unique.

Glass and vases production of Murano has not changed during the centuries. Nowadays there aren't new techniques to make the special glass of Murano: the result depends most of all on the expertise and the artistic skills of the glass artisan.

If you would like to see how artisan make vases, chalices and tumblers, cups, cornucopie, candlesticks, jewels of Murano, you can take the time to visit the Murano glass factory, were the time was stopped in 14th century. One of the main attraction that you can see during your visit at Murano glass factory is the typical glass horse, probably the most selled gift to remember Murano and the incredible art of glass.

In Venetian Lagoon you can also visit the Biennale, contemporary art exhibition.
In this way, the artists of contemporary art, made sculpture with blowing glass of Murano, and the abstracts figures like lovers are really diffused over the world.

But the contemporary artists, with this precious material, do not made only abstract sculptures,
they made also useful things like decorated tables, lamps, mirrors, and so on.
Now you know that murano glass is really precious in different kind of art, fine arts, applied arts, decorative arts, and sure in cinema and theatre.

When you come in this part of Italy to visit the beautiful city of Venice, don’t forget to plan a day trip to explore the islands around la “Serenissima”, and especially the island of glass.
To reach this archipelago you must take the public transport called “vaporetto”, a public waterbus run by the local company ACTV. You can catch this typical bus from Piazzale Roma car parking, or from the central train station “Santa Lucia”. You will be in Murano in about 20 minutes or so.

But if don’t have a time to reach to city centre of Venice, you can take the direct waterbus Alilaguna from Venice “Marco Polo” airport to venetian lagoon.
Anyway, after vaporetto waterbus crossing, you’’ll get off at your destination.

In this island it’s possibile to see many small glass shop and artisan factories. Some of them give you an opportunity to have a demonstration how glassmakers create a glass sculture like small animals, horses, dogs, dolphins, and so on.

The best known shopping area is in called “Fondamenta dei Vetrai”, beyond Murano Colonna waterbus stop. After glass shopping don’t forget to visit the church of St. Peter Martyr, built in 1400, famous for Giovanni Bellini and Paolo Veronese paintings (most famous are “Saint Girolamo in the Desert”, “Assunta and Saints”, and more).

Another beautiful church of Murano is “Santa Maria and Donato Church”, the main cathedral of the island. The church have a great floor mosaics maded in XII century and some famous paintings in venetian-byzantine style.
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