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March 2004

Venice in the sun

David Aaronson
2005-10-01 17:50:16

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Our last day in Venice dawned bright and sunny for the first time that we'd ever seen (on this or any previous trip to Venice).

We arranged a trip to one of the glass factories in Murano through our hotel. The basic exchange seems to be that the glass factory pays for a water taxi from your hotel to their facility in exchange for having you walk around their showroom.

Honestly, the taxi ride alone was worth the trip. Sort of like private vaporetto ride with much more comfortable seating and a fantastic view of the city.

Once out into the Venetian lagoon however they average a much faster speed. Actual speeds may vary due to rules which were imperceptible to us and were only followed in the presence of law enforcement.

The lagoon outside of Venice is completely different from the city itself (1). There are various islands scattered around and lots of water traffic between them. The airport and some parking garages on the mainland are also part of the traffic flow.

Between Venice and Murano lies San Michele, the cemetary island for Venice. The island is surrounded by a wall with occassional gates like this one (2). Trees (a rarity in Venice) and the top of huge marble tombs can be seen above the walls.

We visited the Vetreria Rossetto where the 'tour' basically consists of a few minutes of watching work progress in the factory. Our guide gave us a brief description and answered some questions before turning salesman on us and leading us through the galleries of glass products in the showroom. Unfortunately, they don't allow pictures but this part is worth the trip as well. Chandeliers, decanters, glassware, vases, and every sort of decorative object imaginable comes out of Murano and the craftmanship is superb. The prices reflect this, but then every home should have at least one piece of Murano glass, right?

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