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jwagner
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4 out of 5
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11-15 of 18

Murano

  • August 30, 2003
  • Rated 3 of 5 by akakd from , Arizona
Murano

The Rialto Hotel provided us w/ a free water taxi ride to the Island of Murano, off Venice. Master glassmakers in Murano, Italy, practice their craft before ovens heated to over 1,800 degrees, deftly turning globs of molten glass into polished works of art. Few tourists visit Murano, compared to the crowded alleyways of Venice, making it a nice place to visit, particularly if you're looking for a special gift or souvenir.

From journal Vexing Venice

Marano Glass Blowing tour

  • August 29, 2003
  • Rated 4 of 5 by KerrBerr from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Take a water taxi from the island of Venice to the island of Murano. We watched the workers creating a beautiful Venetian glass chandelier that would sell for thousands of dollars when finished. It takes hours for the team of three men to create the roses for the chandelier. We learned all sorts of neat facts about glass. One of my favorites was why red glass is always more expensive than any other color. If you see various colors of the same glass item, the red will always be more expensive, because the formula to make the red glass contains gold. The tour ends in the gift shop, giving you a chance to purchase virtually anything imaginable made of glass.

From journal Venice - Everything Italy Should Be

Murano

  • February 25, 2003
  • Rated 4 of 5 by MarcyA from League City, Texas
Do not take the rides offered by your hotel to the island - it is a trap to hold you hostage until you purchase an overpriced piece of glass. Take the public transportation, explore the island at your own pace, visit some of the beautiful shops away from the tourist trap glass factories, and truly enjoy your visit. My best friend (an Italian native) and I went and against her better judgement, I insisted we take the beautiful wooden boat offered to us over to the island. We literally had to ESCAPE from the glass gallery out a back door or we would have never seen the island. They hold you captive in the factories galleries and tell you the only way to return to Venice is by their boat. Don't believe it! Take your own tour instead.

From journal Carnival in Italy

Murano Island

  • April 16, 2002
  • Rated 3 of 5 by zax1 from clinton townshio, Michigan
Many hotels in Venice will offer you a free trip to Murano. Murano is the island where all the glass makers reside. The glass business was set on Murano hundreds of years ago to assure that all of Venice would not burn down in a glass making accident.

You do not have to feel compelled to buy something at the glass factory just because you accpeted the free transportation there. We went with the intention of buying a special glass souvenir of our trip and the selection of beautiful pieces is amazing. If you do buy, ask for a private boat ride to where ever you are headed next, you will be accomodated.

From journal Venice Italy in July

Editor Pick

Tour of a Glass Factory

  • July 5, 2001
  • Rated 3 of 5 by millsy99 from Knoxville, Tennessee
Tour of a Glass Factory

There are several glass blowing factories on Murano. The one we happened to visit was called Vecchia Murano. We received a tour of the facility including a demonstration of glass blowing. ~~~~ Afterward, of course, there were opportunities to buy glass items. They ship your items home by DHL so you don't have to lug them around. In the basement of this particular factory, they had less expensive novelty-type glass (fish in "bags," "candy" and items of the sort). ~~~~ Glass is EVERYWHERE in Venice. Be sure the items you purchase are from a store selling MURANO GLASS (not just GLASS) or else you will be supporting the Czech Republic. The government has started cracking down on the practice of passing off inferior glass as Murano glass. Even among authentic Murano glass, prices and quality do vary, so shop around.

From journal VENICE: Expensive Enchantment

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