Murano: Glass Art Among Canals and Venetian History

Glass Art as a Common Thread

Murano is a destination whose character can be understood through the history of glass. At the Glass Museum, the tour is arranged chronologically: it begins with Roman finds from the 1st to the 4th century AD and traces more than seven hundred years of Murano glass history through works dating from the 14th century to the present day. In some of Murano’s numerous glass factories, you can still observe the special technique of glassblowing today. For culturally minded visitors, Murano thus combines art arranged by period with an insight into a craft that can still be observed on site.

Workshops, Beads and Historical Connections

In 1291, the Serenissima ordered the relocation of Venice’s glass workshops to Murano in order to contain the consequences of the devastating fires caused by the workshop furnaces. Le Conterie was a complex of old glass furnaces and production facilities for colored glass beads, which were used for necklaces, bracelets and jewelry; part of the site has been restored and redesigned. Glassblowing and beadmaking represent different areas of Murano’s glassmaking tradition. The Scuola del Vetro Abate Zanetti in Murano is the successor to the historic glass institution Scuola di Disegno per Vetrai, founded in 1862 by Abate Vincenzo Zanetti. Murano’s glass culture therefore encompasses the historic relocation of the workshops, former production sites and an institution that emerged from this tradition.

Venetian Art and Craftsmanship

Venetian art and craftsmanship are also part of Murano’s cultural profile. The Basilica dei Santi Maria, Donato e Cipriano houses one of the oldest painted panels in Venetian art. Palazzo Da Mula in Murano is associated with Venetian-Byzantine craftsmanship. The Centro della Civilità lagunare at Palazzo Da Mula in Murano is also open to the public free of charge from Friday to Sunday. Private guided tours can be booked there from Monday to Thursday. If you take these days into account when planning, the free public visit and the private tour are subject to different time windows.

Island Structure and Travel by Water

Murano consists of seven islands separated by canals and connected by bridges. Canals and bridges therefore form the destination’s basic spatial structure and give orientation a clear island character. Murano lies northeast of Venice and can be reached by water from Fondamenta Nove. For the journey, routes 4.1, 4.2 and 3 connect Piazzale Roma and Venezia Santa Lucia railway station with the Museo Murano stop. Route 7 connects San Marco-San Zaccaria with the Murano Navagero stop. The different departure points and destination stops help you organize your journey according to your chosen starting point.

More Destinations

Also discover Altino, Campalto, Alberoni, Tessera, Favaro Veneto, Marghera, Dese and Trivignano.

For the higher-level travel overview: Venice.