Murano Island: More Than Glass

03

Jul

You can view all posts from my trip to Italy here. 

If you’ve been reading my posts about Italy, you’ll know that I didn’t love Venice. It catered to tourists and was very crowded, among other reasons, and I actually enjoyed visiting Murano Island and Burano Island more than Venice. It rained basically the entire time we were on the islands, but they were still beautiful! (And the rain probably helped keep crowds of tourists away). We ran out of time to see the island of Torcello, but we were able to see it from the boat.

To get to the islands, you can take a water taxi. We got a pass from the airport to cover the whole time we were there, and it worked out nicely. It took about 45 minutes to get out to Burano, so make sure you save enough time to get there and back. I would definitely suggest studying the water taxi map and time table because on our way back, we got on one going the wrong way and had to go to the end of the line!

Tour of Murano Island

Tour of Murano

Glass chandeliers at the Murano Glass Factory

Murano Island is famous for its glass, which you can find everywhere on the island. We went to the Murano Glass Factory for a demonstration and tour, which cost 10 euros, but the 10 euros can go towards anything you want to buy in the store afterwards. The demonstration was pretty cool (I put a video of the demonstration on my Facebook page!), and our guide, Luigi, was great! He was very friendly and funny, and he even gave us some discounts.

Demonstration at the Murano Glass Factory

Demonstration at the Murano Glass Factory

Demonstration at the Murano Glass Factory

Demonstration at the Murano Glass Factory

Demonstration at the Murano Glass Factory

Think the vase has cooled down? Nope. Luigi held a piece of paper up to the vase and it instantly burst into flames! It was pretty crazy to see, and I got a video of it!

Demonstration at the Murano Glass Factory

Demonstration at the Murano Glass Factory

After LOTS of browsing in the store (I got a vase, jewelry for my mom, and an ornament – all on sale!), we explored Murano more before our water taxi arrived. Burano is the island known for its bright, colorful buildings (which were beautiful!), but Murano also had some colorful buildings! There were only a few other people out since it was raining, so we got to explore the island all by ourselves.

Tour of Murano

Tour of Murano

Tour of Murano

Tour of Murano

Church at Murano

Tour of Murano

Tour of Murano

Tour of Murano

Even the islands had canals!

Tour of Murano

Tour of Murano

Tour of Murano

Tour of Murano

Tour of Murano

Tour of Murano

Church at Murano

Glass chandeliers at Murano

I loved exploring Murano Island and seeing the glass demonstration, and it was so nice being away from the crowds in Venice! If you’re looking for a little getaway during your trip to Venice, I highly suggest going to Murano! 🙂

If you missed it, check out last week’s post about my crazy decision to quit my job! 🙂

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Blog, Europe, Italy, Photography, Travel

  1. Zoë says:

    My parents got engaged in Venice, and I have always wanted to go! I can understand that it must have been extremely busy though! I love travelling and exploring! I believe it was in Quebec City that I went to a glass blowing shop where they made the products in store, so you could watch them create their glass ornaments, bowls, vases etc. It was amazing to watch! I would have loved to have seen the paper catching fire! Sounds like an amazing trip! xx

    https://zoe-ware.blogspot.ca

    • Julia says:

      Such a neat place to get engaged! Quebec City is on my bucket list, so I’ll have to check out a glass blowing shop when I go there to see if it’s similar to Murano’s!

  2. Rosa says:

    I really loved it when I visited Burano. I haven’t visited Murano though but this post is making me want to.

    http://ohduckydarling.com

  3. Jordan says:

    So gorgeous!!! I absolutely loved my time on Murano Island when I was last in Venice (and even bought a glass ring from one of the factories!).

  4. Thank you for this post! I went to Murano a few years ago but really missed a lot because I had my backpack and not much budget at that point. Your tips are excellent.

  5. Rocio says:

    My Italy! I am italian so for me it is always very special to read post about my place. Especially now that I am not living anymore in Italy and sometimes homesick is coming. Anyway your post described very good Murano and it is not so hard to be captured by the magic Venice and around! Venice and Rome are my favorite and I think they are two diamonds!!

  6. Martin says:

    Amazing how they create those glasses

  7. Leigh says:

    Wow, that glass is amazing! My boss blows glass and studied in Italy, I’ll have to ask her if it was in Murano. Love the photos!

  8. Kristen says:

    Looks like a cool place. I love glass blowing – I’ve gotten really into Chihuly’s works and have seen videos of it. It’s such a cool process.

  9. Love the colourful buildings. Must have been an amazing walk. Glassblowing is such a beautiful thing to watch. Truly a spectacular art. Have not had a chance to visit Murano yet, but would love to go.

    • Julia says:

      Yes seeing the glass blowing in person was so fascinating! I would definitely suggest going to Murano if you get the chance!

  10. Daisy says:

    I definitely fell for Venice’s tourist trap, can’t wait to go explore the rest of Italy.

  11. Pascale says:

    You are so right in saying Murano and Burano are bright and beautiful, even in the rain! Shame you have missed Torcello, there is something special about it. Congratulations on your pictures, it takes someone special to make you want to go to the Venetian islands with rainy pictures!

    • Julia says:

      Thank you! 🙂 Yes I was so disappointed that I couldn’t go to Torcello, it looks like such a neat place!

  12. Sapna says:

    Loved the photographs. I always wish to visit Murano Island, such a helpful post.

  13. So lovely to see how the glass-blowing process! I saw one in Venice, many years ago. Unfortunately I didn’t have the chance to visit Murano, would love to come by this colorful place one day!

  14. Catherine says:

    Murano is such a lovely island to escape too after all the mayhem of Venice. Your photos came out so beautifully despite the rain! Great post!

  15. Tracy says:

    Your pictures are fantastic. Thank you for sharing them. I have never been to Italy and it is on my travel bucket list. You are the third person I heard didn’t like Venice as it was too Touristy. Interesting piece, Murano will hopefully be a place I visit!

  16. Kasia says:

    I didn’t make it to Murano but I wish I did!! It’s definitely on my list. Great pictures as always xo

  17. Kasia says:

    I had no idea there is a such a popular city close to Venice 😀
    I have been to Venice but never had a chance to visit Murano (I wish I read your article before). I love murano glass, its so beautiful and unique. Perfect for a gift and a souvenir from your travels!

    best,
    Kasia

    • Julia says:

      I would definitely suggest going back to Venice for Murano and Burano! They’re such beautiful and unique islands!

  18. Gorgeous photos! I made a glass paperweight in Canberra (Australia) earlier this year, I was surprised at how difficult it is but it was so much fun!

  19. Wow, is all I can say. What a fantastic post. I loved seeing all the photos and I would love to visit Murano in the future.

  20. Julia says:

    The glass demonstration must have been so interesting and impressive to watch! It’s great to promote the activities that are completely unique to the town. I’d love to visit Murano one day, all these colourful houses and the ancient crafts are exactly what I’d look for when visiting a place like that.

    Julia x
    Last Post: June in Paris | http://juliaspeaksbeauty.blogspot.com/2017/06/june-in-paris.html

    • Julia says:

      Yes I really enjoyed watching the demonstration! I definitely suggest visiting Murano if you get the chance!

  21. Jennifer says:

    Loved all the pictures from the glass factory and the colorful buildings.

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