Murano is one of the most famous islands of Venice Lagoon. Its origin dates back to the time when Barbarian invasion caused old Roman population to move from Altino to the lagoon in 450 A.D. to run away from Huns. The turning point in Murano’s history took place in 1291, when Venice decided to move the glass kilns to avoid the danger of fire in the city.
Due to the presence of kilns, the island will be called the "Island of fire". While in other countries the glassworks have arisen near the places where there were raw materials and fuel, Venice and Murano have always had to import them from far locations. The real richness of Murano was his men, the expert masters, who perfected the techniques of machining. Already appreciated and exported in the Middle Ages, Venetian glass,as it is called, became a highly desired product in the Renaissance all over Europe. In the Baroque period the richness of style determined the search for new effects in glass and new models.
In the XVIII century the innovations were really huge, chandeliers, figurative centerpieces. After the end of the Republic in 1797, there was a rebirth in the second half of the XIX century and glassmasters created the techniques that are at the base of modern glassworks. At the beginning of the 20th century, the collaboration with famous designers such as Carlo Scarpa or Mario de Luigi began. Today Murano glassware is probably the most up-to-date Italian tradition craftsmanship, more connected to the world of art and design, and more respectful of the tipical manuality. Since the beginning of the Modern period, Murano’s art glass is known all over the world thanks to the great art exhibitions like Brussels’s in 1889 or Chicago’s in 1934. Techniques are now consolidated and today they haven’t changed much. Every year millions of tourists visit the island, and almost all of them return home with an artistic glass object.
