Murano is the birthplace of exquisite Venetian glass art. Long ago the area was known as Amurianum or Amuriana, a group of seven islands (originally it was nine) connected by bridges. Murano was born following an edict issued by the then Doge of Venice in 1291 CE, with the aim of reducing the chances of fire destroying the city by relocating the glass foundries away from the main city.

Brick warehouses and industrial smokestacks disguise the combustible creativity held within Murano’s glass studios and showrooms. Hear the eerie heavy breathing of furnaces along the fondamente (canal banks) and follow the red glow into studios to glimpse glassblowing in progress. For shoppers, however, the main attraction of Murano is obvious: the showrooms.