Italy Murano Venice Tours

Watching the Glassblowers

Murano has been Venice's glassmaking island since furnaces were moved off the main city in 1291 over fire risk, and working studios still demonstrate the craft to visitors most days. A few names to watch for on showroom labels:

• Vetro soffiato, hand-blown glass
• Millefiori, thousand-flower beads
• Murrina cane work

Getting There from Venice

A public vaporetto from Fondamente Nove reaches Murano in around ten minutes, making it an easy half-day addition to a Venice stay. Many boat tours continue on to Burano, with its brightly painted fishing houses and lace-making tradition, before returning to the main city. The Murano Glass Museum, set in a former bishop's palace on the Grand Canal, traces the craft back through Roman and Byzantine techniques.