Murano is famous for its lovely shimmering hand-blown glass. There are many glass workshops, galleries and showrooms all over the island of Murano, where the artisans produce beautiful and stunning contemporary art work from hand blown glass.
Murano was a commercial port as far back as the 7th Century, and by the 10th Century it had grown into a prosperous trading center with its own coins, police force, and commercial aristocracy. Then, in 1291, the Venetian Republic ordered glassmakers to move their foundries to Murano because the glassworks represented a fire danger in Venice, whose buildings were mostly wooden at the time.
Murano has specialised in high end glassware for centuries. Their glassmakers led Europe for centuries, developing or refining many technologies including crystalline glass, enamelled glass (smalto), glass with threads of gold (aventurine), multicoloured glass (millefiori), milk glass (lattimo), and imitation gemstones made of glass. Today, the artisans of Murano are still employing these centuries-old techniques, crafting everything from contemporary art glass and glass figurines; to Murano glass chandeliers and wine stoppers, as well as tourist souvenirs.
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