Venitian glass outside of Venice
Aug 22nd, 2003 | 07:19 AM
#1
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Venitian glass outside of Venice
We're headed to Florence, Tuscany, Rome and the Amalfi coast in October. Of course, the one thing my mom requests is a Venitian glass bowl or something similar. Does anyone know of places in any where we'll be with a good selection of Venitian glass? If so, is it cheaper than just buying it here (if you can find it)?
Aug 22nd, 2003 | 07:27 AM
#2
Joined: Jan 2003
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HI
Yes, in general, you get better quality for less money by buying Venetian glass items in Venice.
That said, it's hard to comment further without knowing what your price range is.
It turns out that much of the glass sold in Murano and Venice proper is mass-produced, and not all of it is even made on Murano, some of it comes from the Czech republic and elsewhere.. You end up seeing the same designs and little glass items (2" animals, fish, beads, tiny bowls, etc) in many stores. There are a couple of top-of-the line glass shops around San Marco (Venini, Pauly, etc).
Even on the island of Murano, there are many glass shops that sell souvenirs that may or may not be made there.
While I was in Venice for the first time I asked my concierge which boat I should take to Murano and Torcello. He told me that at 9am a free water taxi would take interested hotel guests to Murano, where the glass factories are. Thankfully, I had read about these arrangements. A particular glass factory arranges with a hotel to pick up interested guests by private boat. When the boat lands on Murano the passengers are offered a free tour of the sponsoring factory, after which they are encouraged to order some glass items. This is not necessarily a bad arrangement, but it means you don?t get to shop around at the other factories unless you strike out on your own, which I did.
When we arrived at the boat landing on Murano, I thanked the driver and went out to browse. Of course I had to make my own way back to Venice, but that was easy by vaporetto.
On Murano, authentic Venetian glass is shown in factory showrooms. The items in the shops may or may not be locally-made. The company I use: Albarelli & Nielsen, ponte Vivarini 143, 30141 Murano, Venezia. email [email protected]
Note that if your time in Venice is short, (3 days or less) then I wouldn't take the time to go to Murano to buy glass, just find a good shop in Venice proper.
Yes, in general, you get better quality for less money by buying Venetian glass items in Venice.
That said, it's hard to comment further without knowing what your price range is.
It turns out that much of the glass sold in Murano and Venice proper is mass-produced, and not all of it is even made on Murano, some of it comes from the Czech republic and elsewhere.. You end up seeing the same designs and little glass items (2" animals, fish, beads, tiny bowls, etc) in many stores. There are a couple of top-of-the line glass shops around San Marco (Venini, Pauly, etc).
Even on the island of Murano, there are many glass shops that sell souvenirs that may or may not be made there.
While I was in Venice for the first time I asked my concierge which boat I should take to Murano and Torcello. He told me that at 9am a free water taxi would take interested hotel guests to Murano, where the glass factories are. Thankfully, I had read about these arrangements. A particular glass factory arranges with a hotel to pick up interested guests by private boat. When the boat lands on Murano the passengers are offered a free tour of the sponsoring factory, after which they are encouraged to order some glass items. This is not necessarily a bad arrangement, but it means you don?t get to shop around at the other factories unless you strike out on your own, which I did.
When we arrived at the boat landing on Murano, I thanked the driver and went out to browse. Of course I had to make my own way back to Venice, but that was easy by vaporetto.
On Murano, authentic Venetian glass is shown in factory showrooms. The items in the shops may or may not be locally-made. The company I use: Albarelli & Nielsen, ponte Vivarini 143, 30141 Murano, Venezia. email [email protected]
Note that if your time in Venice is short, (3 days or less) then I wouldn't take the time to go to Murano to buy glass, just find a good shop in Venice proper.
