Our ‘Murano Glass, Tradition & Innovation’ is intended to be both a cultural and a shopping experience.
The tradition of glassblowing and shaping has been rooted in the Venetian Lagoon since the Middle Ages. When the trading routes with Syria and Egypt brought here the techniques and some of the raw materials.

Originally located in downtown Venice, the glass furnaces were transferred to the nearing island of Murano during the 13th century, when the city became overcrowded and the presence of dangerous activities was no longer sustainable. Venice, notwithstanding all her canals, has always been at serious risk of fire.

We will reach the Island of Glass with a short journey by private water-taxi. Our ‘Collectors’ Tour’ will begin with a visit to a very traditional furnace, an old building with enormous windows overlooking the Lagoon and San Michele Island. We’ll be welcomed by a staff member and introduced to this fascinating world.

The first impression is that of a cheerful and busy disorder, where different glassmakers feature a variety of vases, goblets, sculptures, aquariums, elements of chandeliers. Each ‘piazza’ (=square) consists normally of three workers: master, servant and younger servant, a hierarchy that hasn’t changed through the centuries.

The three men, without talking to each other, work the incandescent mass of glass that stands at the end of a long steel pipe, and is frequently brought back to the furnace for reheating. While trying to figure which kind of object they are shaping, you’ll learn about the basic facts of glass making and blowing in Murano.

The master’ s desk and simple tools employed in the process of creation have not changed much since the Middle Ages. A visit to the Murano Glass Museum at Palazzo Giustinian (if you’re interested check our Murano Glass History Tour) will confirm that, apart from the fuel employed in the furnaces and few other devices, Murano glass tradition still lives on.

Up above the factory, our ‘Collectors’ Murano Glass Tour’ continues