As this was my fourth visit to the majestic city of Venice, I decided to explore further afield. I had always been intrigued by the colourful Murano glass displayed everywhere. After the carnival, this really appeared to be one of the cities unique assets. So a trip to Murano seemed like a great option.
Travel
While I hadn’t been on a vaporetto before, it was pretty easy to figure out I needed the number 3. It launches right outside Santa Lucia train station. The signage by the piers are excellent – clearly showing the times, routes, access points etc. Right on time, one arrived and I managed to get a space for me and my backpack easily. I have a “Venezia Unica Pass” (* below) so was able to tap and go !
It took 20 minutes to reach my stop (the 4th in Murano) – Murano Navagero. I had been on a short gondola ride before but travelling out to the lagoon was a real treat. While it was raining, the buildings on the side of the grand canal and the vastness of the ‘green’ lagoon were impressive.
I gasped out loud, when I disembarked at Murano Navagero. My first view was absolutely breathtaking. I walked along the canal taking in the beautiful architecture on each side. My hotel was just a 4 minute walk but I was anxious to check in, get back out to look for a restaurant and start exploring.
Murano
Situated 2 km north of Venice, Murano is made up of small islands connected by bridges. It has an interesting history as it was originally an independent commune. It became part of the commune of Venice in the 13th century.
Murano glass is one of Italy’s unique products. Straight away I could see lots of shops showcasing their colourful wares. It was going to be difficult to select something to purchase. I wondered how many were authentic or mass produced. Prices seemed to fluctuate a lot but I knew that the originals will have a signature or will be labelled.
After having lunch, I walked around randomly crossing bridges, taking photographs and trying to keep dry. The rain, clouds and lack of tourists added to the ambiance. I was glad I had visited at a quiet time but I really wanted to see it all again in the sunshine.
My first stop was to the “Basilica dei Santi Maria e Donato”. The entrance fee is €3.50. The exterior is typical of the Byzantine period and reminded me of an Orthodox church I saw in Albania last year.
The inside is quite dark apart from the gold paint in the dome over the altar. Several Murano glass structures are displayed. The bones of a dragon slain by Donato are one of the main sights. I think it is the first time I have seen such a display in the numerous Catholic churches I have visited all around the world.
I then found the smallest bar, I have been in, overlooking the canal. The lady appeared surprised that I chose to sit outside. It had stopped raining and I wanted to continue to enjoy the view. I really enjoyed my glass of white wine served with a packet of salted crisps for €3.50. I knew I was going to enjoy my visit to Murano !
I had a early dinner, at my hotel, as I had a long and busy day ahead of me.
Burano
It was raining heavily the following morning but I set out early determined to ‘Island Hop’ !
I travelled the short journey from Navagero to Faro back on vaporotte route 3. I then took a larger vaporetto to Burano. Route 12 took about 25 minutes. The patrons were a mixture of locals and tourists.
My first view of Burano wasn’t as striking as when I arrived in Murano. I purposely hadn’t researched anywhere to go as I just wanted to walk around. It was quite cold and was raining heavily. The locals all walked in the same direction, so I followed them. I then had my gasp in awe as I turned into a small street. The canal appeared surrounded by lots of colourful buildings.
I had forgotten to bring a hat with me and it was very cold. When I spotted some woolly ones in a small shop, I decided that would be my first purchase. I selected an olive green one and greeted the lady in my pigeon Italian, saying I was cold and had no hat. She then offered to make me a coffee ! I did hesitate wondering for a second if she was suggesting I go get a coffee. But when she repeated it, I knew I understood her. I gratefully accepted it and within minutes she brought me an espresso and a biscotti. I think the last time a shop owner offered me a beverage was an Egyptian trying to sell me a colourful carpet in Cairo. Refusing the apple tea was seen as rude then ! My new hostess then proceeded to tell me lots about Burano lace and I did my best to follow along and chat a little to her. She really didn’t appear to be pushing me to purchase anything and gave me a discount on my hat when I offered cash.
Suitably caffeinated and a lot warmer, I spent about an hour walking around Burano. I took photographs of the buildings, looked at lace in shop windows and almost got lost in the myriad of small streets. While not every restaurant and cafe was open, several were and I started looking forward to lunch.
However, my goal was to “Island Hop” so I went back to the vaporetto stop !
Torcello
It was still raining as I read the signs and figured out I needed to go to a pier a little further up. There were no passengers around and just as the attendant came to talk to me, I realized a vaporetto was approaching. As I gestured to him – ‘Torcello’ he shouted ‘rapido, rapido’ and off I ran desperately holding onto my umbrella as the wind had picked up.
No one got off the vaporetto. I don’t know whether it was me or the shouts of the attendant, that got their attention, but they waited for me. A very attractive Italian, despite his disheveled appearance, greeted me with a beaming smile and reached out to help me board. This vaporetto was smaller and there was only one other passenger on it.
In less than 19 minutes, line 9 arrived at Torcello. Along with the other passenger I disembarked. I was struck immediately by the fact I could see no buildings at all. There was a path running along the canal (image 1) so off I headed hoping it would take me ‘somewhere’. As I stopped several times to take photographs, my fellow passenger disappeared and I seemed to be the only person on Torcello !
After a while I came to a few buildings. Some were deserted but one cafe was open. I wondered how many patrons they would have today. The steps on the bridges here were much smaller than the ones I had seen in Venice and Murano and seemed a lot older. I bet lots of people get their ‘Instagram’ moment perched on the “Ponte del Diavolo”, one of the most distinctive bridges in Torcello (image below).
After a few minutes I could see a building which I presumed was the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta. To the side, I could see signs showing where you purchase a ticket. While the entrance cost was listed as €3 the attendant told me it had increased to €7. She was extremely apologetic and pointed to the newer signs inside. I didn’t mind paying this as I knew this was going to be a very unique experience. Also, I wondered how many patrons would visit today.
I spent about an hour in the museum and the archaeological one just across the way. The price covered both. While I was glad to be out of the rain and in a warm place – the artefacts are extremely interesting. Some were originally in the Basilica. 13 pieces of what originally was a 42 piece altar were displayed. Several apparently were stolen in 1806. There was also an amazing bust of Jesus Christ covered in colourful mosaics.
Upstairs artefacts of Torcello from the 12th and 13th Centuries are displayed. I was amazed at how many official seals they had and wondered who they all belonged to. Several quite graphic paintings were displayed including one of a woman being whipped for “disobedience” and one called “The Flagellation of St. Christopher”.
The archaeological museum displays all its wares in one large room. The signs are multilingual. They were the usual items which get excavated and restored – including vases, jewellery and cutlery. There was a strange display of heads in marble and cement including a very striking one of a child grinning profusely (middle image below).
I then made my way to the Basilica. Unfortunately the bell tower was closed so I purchased a ticket for €5 for the main area. The attendant asked if I had a ticket for St. Marks in Venice, telling me admission was free if I had one. I showed her one I had booked for a visit in a few days. However, as I had purchased it via a 3rd party, she couldn’t accept it. Again I didn’t mind paying such a small fee as this place looked huge and clearly was undergoing major restoration work.
Inside it is quite bleak, as its size is intimidating, and it’s in very bad repair. I had the whole place to myself and the silence was startling. There was a lot of scaffolding where clearly the mosaics are being restored. The back wall has one of the largest paintings I have seen. It’s called “The Last Judgement”. It was painted in the 12th century and it goes from the floor to the ceiling. I was very intrigued by the fact that the confessional boxes looked so modern. They really looked out of place in this austere building. I wondered when they get used now. You are not allowed take photographs so I have none to share. However, I’ll certainly return and see how much this has changed in a few years time.
The rain had now stopped and I was glad to be able to walk around outside and admire the amazing buildings again.
Just beside the Basilica is the Church of Santa Fosca (image 1 below). Its pink exterior, with Byzantine columns, makes it stand out from the imposing Basilica. A circular roof made of wood and a large Greek cross on the front wall make the exterior unusual. I thought its interior is similar to lots of Italian Catholic churches I have visited.
A little local trivia – Ernest Hemingway lived on Torcello for a short while and it also served as the location for Daphne du Maurier’s “Don’t look now”.
I decided to walk back towards the Vaporetto stop and go back to Burano for lunch. A waiter was now standing outside the restaurant I had seen open previously. He greeted me and asked what my favourite Italian dish was. I told him I just wanted a light pasta dish like “Aglio, Olio e peperoncini”. He said they could make that for me so I decided to eat there. All the other patrons looked like construction workers. I presumed they were working on the various restoration projects. I was glad to see so many Italians eating there and I really enjoyed my “made to order” dish.
After my meal I got the ferry back to Burano and this time I walked in the opposite direction to where I had been earlier. I really enjoyed seeing all the colourful buildings and the tiny shops. There are lots of unique features such as image 2 below.
Back in Murano
As I was due to leave Murano the following morning, I decided to return there before it got dark. I got off the vaporetto at the Faro stop as I wanted to see a different area. There were a lot more shops, cafes and businesses in this part of Murano. I was anxious to see glass blowing so I went into one establishment but the proprietor told me the public viewing area was now closed. He suggested I go to “Waves” and he gave me directions to it.
“Waves” has an area open to the public where the Glass Blowers work. It’s free to enter and I could see 6 people working on various pieces. I have seen glass blowing before, at Waterford Glass in Ireland, but I still found it fascinating to see it up close again. You have ample room to see several glassblowers in action. You get a great view of the finished products being removed from the kilns.
After watching for a while, I then went into the shop. It contains a wide array of beautiful products. I purchased two glasses at €22 each. I had seen similar ones in the shops but I wanted to ensure I purchased items genuinely made in Murano. You can see an artists “sticker” on the black one “Vetro Artistico Murano”.
As it had stopped raining, I walked around enjoying seeing the canal and buildings in a different light. It took me about 15 minutes to walk back towards my hotel. I had a small meal in the Hyatt hotel bar on the way. While I prefer to frequent locally owned establishments there was very little open. Also the view of the sunset from here was wonderful. It was very peaceful, walking back to the hotel, as everywhere was deserted. The canal and buildings really look beautiful at nighttime.
I got up early on my last morning and walked across the canal to a small cafe. I had a coffee and brioche for €3.10 as I watched some locals start their day. I then walked down towards the Navagero stop as I had seen a sign for a glass factory there. The Alessandro Mandruzzato showroom was open so I went in. As soon as I went near where the glass blowers were working, I was approached by a lady who asked if I was on a tour or had a reservation. I explained I had just wandered in. After chatting for a few minutes she agreed to show me around. I saw another great display of glass blowing and some amazing finished products like the chandelier below.
She then brought me through the showroom. While she stayed with me the whole time, I didn’t feel obliged to purchase anything. She told me as it’s a factory they give at least a 10% discount. I have to admit I did purchase a beautiful piece of jewellery. I also got a much larger discount than 10% which I think was influenced by the fact I told her I lived in Italy.
My next stop was to visit the Glass Museum (Musoe del Vetro). The entrance fee is €15, which is quite expensive for a museum in Italy. An audio guide was available on your phone but as I didn’t have ear phones with me I decided not to use this. The multilingual signs were great anyway,
The building itself is worth seeing as it originally was a palace. In 1861 it became a museum which shows you how advanced glass blowing is as a profession.
The displays which impressed me are the following:
- A display of coloured sand used for glass blowing
- A glass map of Europe showing in red where Casanova visited
- Lots of amazing chandeliers and free standing displays like image 3 below
- “Milk” (Lattino) glass which looks like “bone china”
- La Perle – Venetian beads
I really enjoyed my visit and spent over an hour wandering around in awe at the displays.
Final Thoughts
I thoroughly enjoyed my two night stay in Murano and my visit to the Islands. One person I talked to told me Murano is what Venice used to be years ago. It was fantastic to visit at a quiet time, albeit in the rain.
I had great conversations with locals, learnt lots about glass blowing, put up lots of steps on my fit-bit and really enjoyed “Island Hopping” in the Venetian lagoon. I plan to do it all again in the very near future !
(*) La tessera Venezia Unica is a city pass for locals and visitors. I have one which is available to Italian residents living outside of the Veneto region. It cost me €100 and it’s valid for 5 years. It gives free and reduced costs to transport and attractions. It is worth researching this if you plan to visit for several days, will use public transport and visit several museums.