Murano is an island town, about 1.5 km north of Venice, in northern Italy and is considered part of Venice, with a population of just over 5,000. It is famous for its glass making, particularly lampworking. Murano was a commercial port as far back as the 7th Century, and by the 10th Century it had grown into a prosperous trading center with its own coins, police force, and commercial aristocracy.
Then, in 13th Century, the Venetian Republic ordered glassmakers to move their foundries to Murano because the glassworks represented a fire danger in Venice, whose buildings were mostly wooden at the time. Murano glassmakers were the only people in Europe who knew how to make glass mirrors. Murano's fascinating Museo Vetrario, also known as the Glass Museum or Museum of Glass, offers a century-by-century tour of Venetian glassmaking.
Attractions on the island include the Church of Santa Maria e San Donato , the church of San Pietro Martire with the chapel of the Ballarin family built in 1506 and the Palazzo da Mula. Glass-related attractions include the many glassworks, some Mediaeval and most open to the public. Artisans create objects of every colour. Colours, techniques and materials vary depending upon the look a glassmaker is trying to achieve.
Only experts know how to obtain variants of yellow and red, the most difficult colours to obtain. Articles range from vases to unique pieces, statues to animals. The variety of glass in Murano is vast and can be quite expensive. There are also over one hundred small businesses who work glass by candlelight and therefore don't require the furnace.
To get to Murano you can get the public boats called vaporetti and motoscafi from the railway station of Venice. vaporetti run almost constantly during the day and evening, and you'll seldom have to wait more than a few minutes for one to come along. Whether you spend a few days whether you are just passing through, Murano is one of the most impressive sights of Venice, and no one should miss it.
Photo source: Wikipedia
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