Within the walls of this small shop lie some of the most beautifully wrought examples of Venetian art in the area. All colors of the spectrum dance around the walls of this shop while sunlight plays on the fine glass displayed upon its shelves.

Once again I gave into the urge to purchase glass here. The choices were endless, fom the smallest of pieces to finely blown paper weights and glassware and finally to some of the most delicate and breathtaking examples of glassware I have ever seen! Even if I had had the budget or the inclination to purchase such pieces I would have been loathe to do so, in fear of them breaking while traveling throughout Italy. Although they do ship pieces and promise to pack them well, I still gave pause and settled for a much smaller piece, which I felt more comfortable carrying around.

The bottom line is this: a trip to Venice is not complete unless you view firsthand the beauty and artistry of blown glass and this shop is one that has example after example of such an art on display. It is well worth the visit and well worth the search (for some shops can be hard to locate in this city), but it is a hunt well worth the time.

Ciao!

The sun through the windows into a rainbow of color and form. Never had I see such glitter and glow in one place! This store was fantastic! From the tiniest of hand blown curios to large vases and bowls, this shop has something for everyone, and for everyone's pocket as well! I was enthralled with the selection here, for though a small store it had an amazing selection and amazing prices as well!

If you are looking for a bargain, pass by this shop; it is definitely priced on the high end of the scale, but I can assure you that the sheer beauty of the items on display when you return home will make you forget how truly pricey they really were.

I also would be remiss if I did not mention how helpful and kind the employees are in this shop. I was pleased with their helpful manner and the care they put into wrapping each individual piece so it would survive the trip home. Their customer service, if nothing else, will cause me to return to this shop when I next visit the city!

We stopped at Murano to get a quick lunch before proceeding on to Torcello. For this reason, we got off at the second stop. Because of this, we did not meet any 'glass touts' offering free factory tours. Instead, we wandered through this quiet island village, through the courtyard of its church, to a little restaurant near the campanile. Afterwards, we decided to stroll through town.

Many of the glass shops sold the same sorts of things, little glass animals, pens, jewelry. Others sold large artworks, beautiful structures of light and color encapsulated in glass. We stopped briefly in one of the ubiquitous shops to purchase inexpensive souvenirs for our families.

Down the canal, we decided we had time for one more store before boarding the vaporetto. We stopped into a upscale establishment and browsed. In their second showroom, we found enchanting liqueur sets. Soon, a sales clerk came in to talk to us about the glassware. We had no plans to purchase anything. But the more I heard about this traditional art form, the painstaking hand-made details, and the more I looked at these pieces of glass, I definitely wanted to take it home with us. It is not like me to make an extravagant purchase, but I realized that unlike many souvenirs, we would be able to use this set to entertain our friends for years to come, and always remember our trip to Italy.

He told us that he had the best prices for us, and while I didn’t believe it for a second, I did think the price was fair considering the workmanship. We purchased a green liqueur set, painted over in gold with tiny hand-molded flowers. Green, he informed us, was the traditional color. Red and purple, though beautiful, cost 10% more. These pieces represented one of the original designs of Venetian glassware, and these pieces came from one of the old artisan families that had lived on Murano for centuries. The shop offered to ship it to us for 30 Euro, including insurance, and it arrived shortly after we returned. Now we use it all the time!

Back on Venice, we started seeing very similar sets in the shops around San Marco. Curious, we entered one shop and inquired about it. The price was twice as much. We did get the best price! In summary, Murano’s famous glassware is cheaper at the source. Talking to some friends who had also visited Murano, we also determined that we had been quoted better prices than those who had gone on those "free" factory tours.

Cenedese & Gasparini Glass
Fondamente Daniele Manin, 1/A

Also, as a side note, you can get most of the same stuff on the island of Venice at a cheaper price -- you just have to make sure its says "Murano glass" if you want the real thing.