VENICE: Murano island, glass making & sightseeing

Murano is famous for its glass making. Murano’s reputation as a center for glass making was born when the Venetian Republic, fearing fire and the destruction of the city’s mostly wooden buildings, ordered glassmakers to move their foundries to Murano in 1291. Murano glass is still associated with Venetian glass.

The process of making Murano glass is rather complex. The glass is made from silica, which becomes liquid at high temperatures. As the glass passes from a liquid to a solid state, there is an interval when the glass is soft before it hardens completely. This is when the glass-master can shape the material.

00:00 To Murano by boat
00:07 Passing the cemetery island of San Michele
01:08 Arriving at Murano
01:41 Making a glass horse
04:59 Start sightseeing
06:01 San Pietro Martire, church
06:30 Basilica di Santa Maria e Donato, church

Murano is a series of islands linked by bridges in the Venetian Lagoon. It lies about 1.5 km north of Venice and measures about 1.5 km (0.93 mi) across. It was once an independent comune, but is now a frazione of the comune of Venice.

The Church of San Pietro Martire (St Peter Martyr) is a Roman catholic parish church.

The Church of Santa Maria e San Donato is one of the oldest churches in the Venetian lagoon. It was originally built in the 7th century and is knownn to have been rebuilt in the 9th century and in 1040 AD, although it is possible that there have been more rebuildings in later times.

May 22, 2013

More (detailed) videos of Venice:    • ITALY: Venice, city of water