Venice is made up of 117 different Islands – many uninhabited or tucked so closely together it’s not obvious they’re islands.  But today we visited two of the distinct, inhabited ones: Murano and Burano.

Many may be familiar with Murano glass, the manufacture of which is Murano’s chief industry.  Venice has long been a world leader in glass manufacturing, but centuries ago moved all production to Murano because of the fire hazard posed by the furnaces.  The advent of computer-controlled, mass production of decorative glass has dramatically dampened demand for Murano’s hand-blown products, but true glass connoisseurs (I’m not one) still value the Murano name on their fancy bowls and chandeliers.

Today’s visit to Murano was to one of the glass factories.  We were treated to an intimate, one-on-one demonstration of the glass blowing craft – a definite step up from the glass-blowing shop at Silver Dollar City. 

A seasoned craftsman spent about 20 minutes turning a couple blobs of molten goo into an ornate, multi-colored glass bowl, displaying the dexterity and touch of a vasectomist.  When completed, he brought it to us for a close-up look and it was beautiful. 

He then promptly dumped it in the trash. 

It was painful to watch the  disposal of this work of art, but given the low raw material cost for glass (it’s literally sand), the entire value of the pieces is in the craftsmanship.

Of course, the whole demonstration was simply an appetizer to entice us into the showroom of finished products, and perhaps create a sense of obligation for us to purchase something.

If that was the goal, then Mission Accomplished!!

After perusing NINE rooms of finished products, everything from tiny Christmas ornaments to man-sized decorative displays, we whipped out the credit card.

Interestingly, some of the displayed items were made in the 50s and 60s, and have remained persistently unsold.   The bowl we purchased was actually made about 15 years ago.  The set of red and white wine glasses, however, were just displays and the ones we’ll receive will be made by hand over the next two months.

I’m excited to join the exclusive club of Murano glass owners, and will proudly speak in snooty tones and wear my fancy-pants from here forward! 

As for the rest of Murano, not much to see.  It’s primarily an island of glass factories, glass shops and unoccupied buildings. 

Burano, on the other hand, is charming.  If you like authentic, hand-made lace (I don’t), this is your place!   The island has a large native population, living in brightly painted houses, and it sports a wide assortment of restaurants and shops. 

Over three nights and two full days, we walked many miles through Venice’s winding passageways and over its countless bridges, drank a lot of red table wine (having blown our wine budget the first night), carb-loaded on mouth-watering al dente pasta and buffalo mozzarella pizza, and reveled in the view of the Grand Canal from our hotel room window.

In this particular picture you see a ceremonial boat, with a large crew of costumed rowers, heading out for the traditional Ascension Day ceremony marrying Venice to the sea. For centuries, dignitaries would ride out to where the Venice lagoon meets the Adriatic Sea, and would toss a gold ring into the water symbolizing the marriage of the two. As you can see, this tradition is still practiced today. I wonder if some entrepreneurial diver might enjoy a big payday by searching the sea floor for 1,000 or so historic gold rings?

Our memorable visit to Venice ended with a nearly 6 hour train ride.  I can assure you that leaving this alluring place by train, via a bridge and through an industrial area on the mainland was quite the contrast to arriving by private water taxi.  But at the end of this ride, we’ll be on the other end of Italy and at the site of one of the world’s greatest natural disasters.