Venice, the most enchanting and beautiful town in the world in the opinion of the millions who visit it every year, captivates with its magical beauty and defiance of both gravity and logic. Fleeing from the barbarians after the fall of the Roman Empire, the inhabitants of the neighboring unprotected towns ran to the marshlands in the Venetian Lagoon and eventually created a prosperous city that seems to float on the water, but in reality sits on 118 islands supported by the wood pilings. Venice is situated in the Veneto region of Northern Italy and is reachable by plane or car up to a certain point, after which the only means of getting into town is by water transport. Venice is a wonderful maze of narrow winding streets that often end abruptly at the water's edge, more than 400 bridges and about 170 canals. It is not hard to explain why hordes of tourists from every ethnicity and every corner of the world steadily flock to Venice, and many people have it on their "10 Places to Visit in My Lifetime" lists. Frozen in time due to the law forbidding any new construction within the historical part of the city, packed with world-class museums and unique architecture dating many centuries back, romantic and irresistibly charming, Venice seems to impersonate our childhood dreams for a world long lost in time.
More than just a beautiful city, Venice for a long time was a very successful state with thriving commerce, visited and envied by many, and displaying tastes for exquisite and unique things. This quality of Venice and the Venetians gave push to development of blown glass in Venice and subsequently on Murano at the time when this material was unknown to the rest of Europe, or rather long forgotten after the fall of Rome. Venice started to sparkle with its unparalleled mirrors, chandeliers, and goblets, and amaze the travelers even more. Today, almost a thousand years after re-discovering the secret of glass-making, Venice still proudly displays its heritage, and lots of galleries, boutiques and shops offer Murano Glass for sale. But how to buy the highest quality authentic Murano Glass is a topic of a different story.
Thanks to our lifelong fascination with Murano Glass, over the years we made lots of trips to Venice, Murano, and the surrounding areas. We were fortunate to meet so many warm-hearted locals, both glass masters and others, who shared their passion about Venice and their knowledge of this amazing city. They told us what to see without tourist crowds, how to fit in and enjoy Venice like a local, where to find the freshest most authentic food, and where to enjoy a glass of flavorful local wine in a good company. We had such great time during our travels that we thought it would be a shame to keep secrets from our customers and friends, and we decided to share all this priceless knowledge with you. Here you will find all the travel tips we learned from our Venetian friends. We hope this knowledge will make your trips to Venice and Murano more enjoyable and memorable.