Glassmaker in workshop

Murano has been the centre of Venetian glassmaking since 1291, and it flourished in the 16th century, thanks to this activity. Murano is built on five islands and is bisected by its own “Grand Canal” approximately in the middle. The two banks of the canal are connected by a bridge, the Ponte Vivarini, named after the 15th-century family of artists who came from here. The island, which is administratively part of Venice, currently has 5,600 inhabitants. The island’s real boom began in 1291, when glassblowing workshops were banned from Venice due to their fire hazard and moved to Murano.