Venice's historic craft: Murano glass

Almost every second store in Venice sells glass products, whether it be cheap mass-produced necklaces or bracelets for about five euro or elaborate designs with a price tag to match. While some it seems a bit tacky, glass making has a rich history in Venice.

Murano Island, a quick boat ride from Venice, is the home of the art. The factories were built there so they didn't pose a fire risk to the rest of the city. Murano was also a major port. Back in the day (we're talking 14th-15th century) glassmakers were held in high regard. They carried swords and were immune from prosecution. By the end of the 16th century almost half the island's population was involved in glassmaking. Today it is still the island's major draw.

A 24-hour public transit strike threatened to ruin out plans today but luckily the water bus out to Murano is considered a 'minimum service'. As we walked off the boat a man shouted directions to a glass factory that would close in an hour. “To your left and over the bridge,” he repeated. It’s what most of us were there to see so we headed there. Entry to the factory was free, although tips were encouraged at the end of the demonstration. It was a bit of a dodgy set up, but we saw enough. The items they produce are really something.

We then walked back to the city centre; the water on one side and glass galleries and shops on the other. Some sold the stock-standard items no different to what the street vendors were hawking back in Venice. Others were more upmarket and sold beautiful and quite original pieces. I hadn’t done any shopping all trip, other than a bracelet from the Cinque Terre, but I made up for that in Murano. I made sure what I bought came with a certificate of authenticity. Given the huge number of items available in Venice and on Murano it can’t all be made on the island. That assumption was confirmed when I saw stores promoting that they didn’t sell any Chinese glass. It really is a case of you get what you pay for. Nearly every store had a sign banning photographs, which I respected so I don't have any images of the pieces we saw.



Back in Venice we walked to St Mark’s Basilica. On the way we came across Libreria Acqua Alta. I doubt this appears on any must-see lists for Venice, but it should.



We arrived in St Mark’s Square in time for cocktail hour. The outdoor seating was starting to fill up and each restaurant provided its own entertainment. Musicians performed on small stages for their respective crowds. At a cost of eight euro we took the elevator up St Mark's Campanile (the bell tower). Our first thought was how nice the view of the canals would be, but we soon realised the surrounding buildings make it impossible to see the canals from anything other than a true bird’s eye view. Duh! We viewed the city from all directions. A clock across the square had statures up the top that moved to strike the bell. It was approaching 6.30pm so we stayed up the tower to see them in action. What we forgot about was the bells right above us….I mean less than a metre from our heads. At 6.30pm they swung into action. The noise was deafening and the vibrations made me feel a little uneasy. These old buildings can’t stay standing forever.





We came down only to find that the actual Basilica had closed for the day. Can’t say I was all that upset. After Rome I’m a bit Basilica-ed out. The same thing happened in Japan. A temple, is a temple, is a temple.

Getting lost in Venice

In Casino Royale, Daniel Craig, as James Bond, races around Venice. In the film the city looks so gorgeous. (As does Daniel Craig) Lovely old buildings, the weaving canals - a-one-of-a-kind city. What those scenes don't show are all the tourists. So many tourists. I can't be too critical. I was one of them. But just 24-hours changed my views of Venice and its elegance.

It doesn't help matters that the Venetians don't seem to like ramps. Every canal has a bridge, but we only saw one with a ramp of any kind. Even the modern bridges were all stairs. This city attracts an average of 15 million visitors each year. That means 15 million people pulling their luggage up and down these stairs.

It took four bridges to get to our hotel. Our triple room turned out to be an apartment right on a canal. We worked out the air conditioning, cooled down and then ventured outside.



Venice is a city you should, and can very easily, get lost in. Fun right? Definitely. We put our map away and just walked. For hours. Passed the many, many shops selling glasswear, Venetian costume masks, bags, lace and so much more. There was also no shortage of gelato vendors and cafes advertising free wifi.

The main shopping strip looks no different to any other part of the city. The same beautiful buildings, just with better window displays. There is no method to the streets. You can be following a line of shops and hotels and suddenly there's no one about and a string of clothes drying above your head.

 

We sat by the Grand Canal for a while. The whole time I was thinking about images I'd seen of Venice, such as the scenes in Casino Royale, and struggled to reconcile that this was the same city. I can't really explain what was so different. It just seemed a little gimmicky to me. And yes the gondolas look great, but at 80 euro a trip (100 euro if it's after 7pm) ít's a rort.





What I found most interesting was the simple substitution of roads for water. Anything that would happen on the roads in Rome was happening in the canals of Venice. Boats jetted by at a speed not normally seen in such busy waters. They also went where ever they liked. There was a slight left/right divide, but everyone seemed pretty flexible on the subject. It's a lot of fun to watch.



After picking up some groceries we cooked dinner back at the apartment. It's still so hot so we only last so long outside before we're retreating either into some indoor attraction or back to our room to cool down. Highlight of the day? Having my first granita. A deliciously cold flavoured slushy drink. Oh so so needed in this weather.