Everything About Venice and Murano Glass » Venice

Celebrations of Love: Venice Carnival and Valentine’s Day

GlassOfVenice — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 23:23:04 +0000

As we all know, Venice is one of the few remaining cities that changed very little over the last few centuries. In the spirit of retaining it historic and cultural identity, Venetians keep many of their age-old traditions alive, the most important of which is annual Venetian Carnival. This year the Carnival will take place from February 11th to 21st. If you have never been in Venice during the Carnival, you should definitely make plans to go and experience the magic, enchantment, and breathtaking beauty of Venice as it was meant to be. February is a dull and dreary month in Europe, but not in Venice, thanks to the Carnival which brings out colors, celebrations, music and historic events onto the streets of Venice.

A tribute to Venetian extravagance and decadence, one of the most interesting introductions for the 2012 Carnival will be the Wine Fountain set up in St. Mark’s Square. Set up in front of the Doge’s Palace, this unusual fountain will cast out fine wines produced in Venice which will be offered to the public. Carnival will be opened on February 4th with the official toast made by this Fountain, and, after the opening toast, in a truly Venetian enchanting scene, everyone will be dancing waltz in the Piazzetta San Marco.

Another important part of the Carnival festivities is “The Angel Flight”, a traditional flight of a secret guest of the city of Venice, from the top of the bell tower of St. Mark’s down to the centre of the square. An internationally acclaimed star, whose name has not yet been revealed, will wear a gorgeous Carnival costume and the magical flight will pay homage to the events of the centuries past.

The Venetian Carnival will end on Tuesday, February 21st 2012, with the Rowing of Silence: a picturesque procession of ornate historical boats along the Grand Canal from Rialto to St. Mark’s Square with no artificial lighting. All the gorgeous palaces overlooking the largest Venetian Canal will be lit entirely by candles, and motor boat traffic will be prohibited, recreating the atmosphere of Venice in the middle ages and allowing us to see the magical and unreal Venice just the way it appeared to the travelers centuries ago.

Whether you manage to travel to Italy for the Carnival or choose to stay at home, we hope you don’t forget another important festival of Love that we celebrate here in the U.S. – The Valentine’s Day. And what better way to show your love than with a piece of authentic Murano Glass created right in the Capital of Romance, the timeless and beautiful city of Venice!

To help you celebrate and announce your love we announce Special Valentine’s Day Sale from GlassOfVenice.

We invite you to take advantage of our limited time Valentine’s Day Special and get 15% OFF everything on our website when you use coupon VALSALE15 during Checkout until February 15th, 2012. Plus, as always, get free shipping in the U.S. on all orders over $100 and discounted shipping on all other orders.

To get your own piece of artistic Murano Glass, please see our wide selection of authentic Murano Glass at www.GlassOfVenice.com

Become our Fan on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter @GlassOfVenice to stay up to date on our promotions and updates.

Christmas in Venice: Romance, Art, Tradition

GlassOfVenice — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 20:01:25 +0000

Christmas is an enchanted time, especially when it’s celebrated in the enchanted city of Venice. Winter Holidays bring special cheer and magic to Venice and we will give you a quick overview of Venetian celebrations and events this holiday season.

This year Venice set up its largest skating rink ever on Piazza San Polo surrounded by a traditional Christmas market. At the market you can buy Murano Glass, Venetian masks, and other local artisanal products, as well as try great local food and wine. When you get tired of skating and feel like getting a culture fix, you can visit a very interesting exhibition in Murano Glass Museum on the island of Murano, entitled “1861-2011: UN’ISOLA, UN’ARTE, UN MUSEO” (translated as “One Island, One Art, One Museum”). This retrospective exhibition dedicated to the long history of Murano glass-making offers insight into Murano Glass tradition and showcases almost two hundred of the most significant items in the Museum’s collection made in the last 150 years.

If you are in Venice over the Holidays, you will get a chance to enjoy some colorful centuries-old Christmas traditions honored here and in the rest of Italy. One of them is Messa di Mezzanotte, Christmas Mass that starts around midnight. After the Christmas dinner, families head out and walk brightly decorated streets to a candle-lit church, where choirs sing Christmas songs and create true Christmas spirit. Evoking spiritual traditions of the centuries past, festive and beautiful Messa di Mezzanotte is an event not to be missed.

After Christmas, all eyes turn to the New Years with its own share of colorful celebrations and interesting traditions. Make sure to eat lentils on December 31st to attract money and riches in the new year. Lentils symbolize coins, and, according to the Italian tradition, the more you eat, the more money you’ll get. On New Year’s eve, most Italians serve their lentils with either cotechino (pork sausage) or zampone (pig’s trotter stuffed with the same filling as cotechino). After this feast, head to Piazza San Marco, where New Year celebrations take place. The festivities focused on beauty and romance and entitled “The Love Celebration” will continue through the night and culminate with the spectacular fireworks over the Venetian Lagoon.

Whether you manage to travel to Italy this Holiday season or just enjoy reading about Venice and Italy, we hope you get a cue from Italians and remember to take a break to enjoy good food, festive atmosphere, art, and the company of friends.

Happy Holidays from all of us at GlassOfVenice and best wishes for happy and prosperous New Year!

Holiday Sale Reminder

Remember to take advantage of our limited time Holiday Special and get 15% OFF everything on our website when you use coupon DECSALE15 during Checkout until January 1st, 2012. Plus, as always, get free shipping in the U.S. on all orders over $100 and discounted shipping on all other orders.

To get your own piece of artistic Murano Glass, please see our wide selection of authentic Murano Glass at www.GlassOfVenice.com

Become our Fan on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter @GlassOfVenice to stay up to date on our promotions and updates.

Murano Glass Beads on View in Murano Museum

GlassOfVenice — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 20:07:15 +0000

Murano Glass beads are a significant part of Murano Glass history. Besides their function as a base component of Murano Glass jewelry, they were in wide use as currency (then known as trade beads) between the 16th and 20th century when Venetian merchants set voyage to the Middle East and Africa to acquire goods, services and slaves. These days Murano Glass beads produced by the talented Venetian masters represent a wide range of traditional Venetian glass-making techniques and are used to create unique Murano Glass earrings, pendants, necklaces,bracelets, cufflinks, and more. The public usually sees these finished products and does not get the behind-the-scenes look at the wide variety of exquisite Murano Glass beads which Murano artists draw upon for their creations. The Venetian beads are individually hancrafted over a flame or in the special furnace and decorated using traditional Murano glass-making techniques.

The new exhibition at Murano Glass Museum (Museo del Vetro) called “ERCOLE MORETTI. A century of Venetian pearl” seeks to familiarize the public with these beautiful pieces of Venetian Glass Art by displaying a great collection of Rosetta, Mosaic, Millefiori, and Murrina Murano Glass beads and other glass objects created over a period of a century by one of the most renown workshops of Murano, Ercole Moretti and F.lli, which this year celebrates its 100 year anniversary.

The exhibition runs at Murano’s Museo del Vetro from October 9th 2011 to January 6th 2012.

Please see our wide selection of authentic murano glass at www.GlassOfVenice.com

Follow us on Twitter @GlassOfVenice to stay up to date on our promotions and updates.

Dali in Venice: Paintings, Bronze, Glass and more

GlassOfVenice — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 20:58:06 +0000

As if Venice itself was not surreal enough, a large doze of surrealism was injected into the city’s artistic appeal this Spring. More than 100 works of Salvador Dali, the king of surrealism, are now featured in Venice’s Museo di Sant’Apollonia conveniently located across the canal just behind Basilica San Marco. The exhibition illustrates Dali’s genius in many art forms and his fascination with different materials reflected in the works rarely seen before, such as a collection of Glass Objects made at the famous “Daum Cristallerie” and even a set of Gold Objects. The exhibition is a perfect way to add color and excitement to a foggy Autumn day in Venice and it runs till 11th of November, 2011.

Watch Our New Murano Glass and Venice Video

GlassOfVenice — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:00:02 +0000

We travel to Venice often and every time we visit this magical city we are amazed by its beauty, harmony, and the feeling of decadence that lives in its atmosphere. Our trips are always busy, filled with the visits of Glassworks, meetings with the glass artists and designers, tireless search for new products and fashion trends, and occasional stops to admire all the beauty around us. It is during these stops that we have often thought about a way to bring our clients not just the beautiful glass products created on Murano, but also the feeling of Venice’s fleeting beauty and the whole experience that is Murano Glass.

To achieve this we took our photographers and videographers along on one of our trips, who shot amazing footage of everything we experience when we visit Venice and Murano. We then spent weeks selecting the best moments and merging them together to make a film about Murano Glass like no other. Our unique film lets our clients and Murano Glass fans to experience Murano Glass in its entirety – from the surreal air of Venice, where this art was born, to the burning furnaces of the Glass Masters where it’s being created now, just like centuries ago.
We hope you enjoy this film and come to appreciate Murano Glass in a new way!

To get your own piece of artistic Murano Glass, please see our wide selection of authentic Murano Glass at www.GlassOfVenice.com

Get our Twitter updates via SMS by texting “follow GlassOfVenice” to 40404 in the United States.

Glasstress in Venice: Contemporary Art in Murano Glass

GlassOfVenice — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 23:38:09 +0000

Venice Biennale is always a grand event in the world of art, which ambitiously attempts to represent and explore the international contemporary art scene. This years’ Biennale is the 54th one and features artworks spanning painting, photography, film, and modern art installations made of paper, steel, glass, wax and even vapor, presented by 89 countries. Multiple concurrently running shows and exhibitions make up the Biennale and attract hordes of artists, journalists, celebrities and tourists. One of the most interesting exhibitions in this year’s Venice Biennale is Glasstress, an attempt to explore modern art themes in Murano glass. Glasstress is the result of the joint efforts of some of the best contemporary artists who came up with the ideas for sculptures and installations and Adriano Berengo’s Murano glass factory, which implemented them in Murano glass.

Glasstress runs from June 4 to November 27, 2011 and is held at Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti and the Berengo Centre of Contemporary Art and Glass in Venice, Italy.

After Venice Biennale Glasstress will present travelling Murano Glass exhibitions around the world, including one in New York City.

To get your own piece of artistic Murano Glass, please see our wide selection of authentic Murano Glass at www.GlassOfVenice.com

Get our Twitter updates via SMS by texting “follow GlassOfVenice” to 40404 in the United States.

Water and Music: Venezia Jazz Festival July 23rd – 31st, 2011

GlassOfVenice — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 22:03:02 +0000

The fourth Venezia Jazz Festival, one of the most famous musical festivals in Italy, will be held in Venice from July the 23rd through 31st, 2011. This unique festival traditionally attracts the most established names in music and this year is no exception with Sting performing on July 29th in Piazza San Marco. This performance will be a part of Sting’s Symphonicity European Tour featuring the musician’s biggest hits in symphonic arrangements. Sting’s fans and lovers of good music will hear such greatest hits as “Roxanne”, “Every Breath You Take”, “Englishman in New York”, “Russians”, “Fields of Gold”, and “Desert Rose”. The Festival program will also include other concerts in Piazza San Marco and in the Fenice Theater, and even special lunches and dinners in various city museums, including Palazzo Grassi, Punta della Dogana, Peggy Guggenheim Collection.

This will be a great week to spend in Venice due to the abundance of music events and entertainment options throughout the town, as well as special Festival-inspired programs in art, literature, and even culinary experiences, many which will be open to the public. Venice is enjoyable any time of the year, but this July you have a unique opportunity to enrich your Venetian experience with wonderful music.

Read more about Venice and see photos of La Serenissima at www.GlassOfVenice.com

Enjoy shopping with us and keep checking our Blog, Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter to stay up-to-date on our promotions and updates.

Get our Twitter updates via SMS by texting “follow GlassOfVenice” to 40404 in the United States.

Murano Glass Exhibitions in Venice

GlassOfVenice — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 20:35:56 +0000

Venice never ceases to amaze tourists not only with its unique beauty but also with the richness of its cultural heritage and the many museums and exhibitions that offer insights into Venetian history and art. Murano glass art has recently been in the spotlight, and two current exhibitions in Venice celebrate the contribution of two very prominent Murano glass creators – the Venini glassworks and Lino Tagliapietra – to the 20th century renaissance of this ancient Venetian art form.

The first exhibition dedicated to 90 years of Venini family glassworks is called NOVANTESIMO VENINI, 1921 – 2011, and is open until July 10, 2011 at the Murano Glass Museum. It highlights in chronological order the achievements of the famous Venetian glass masters from Venini Glass Company in the time span from 1921 through 2011 and features about 100 works characteristics of various artistic periods in the life of the company.

In another very exciting development, the first ever exhibition of the masterpieces created by world-famous Murano glass master Lino Tagliapetra is set up in Venice and will stay open until May 22, 2011 to the delight of all Venetian glass and Tagliapietra fans. The exhibition is housed in beautiful Grand Canal Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti, the home of Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere e Arti and features a selection of the best art glass pieces created by the master in the last decade. Lino Tagliapietra, who was born in Murano, Italy in 1934, is one of the most prominent Venetian glass masters currently working, and his creations can be seen in galleries, museums, public spaces and private collections around the world.

If you are in Venice this Spring and Summer, we highly recommend that you visit one or both of these exhibitions for a rare in-depth look at the modern interpretation of the ancient art form that is so unique and characteristic of Venice.

To learn more about Murano glass history and techniques, please visit GlassOfVenice.com

Get our Twitter updates via SMS by texting “follow GlassOfVenice” to 40404 in the United States.

Venice Architecture Biennale starts August 25th

GlassOfVenice — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 22:03:10 +0000

Venice Biennale art exhibition, which has been existence for 115 years, is one of the most famous art-focused events in the world drawing over 100,000 visitors last year alone. The history of the Venice Biennale dates back to 1895, when the first International Art Exhibition was organized in the city. In the 1930s Music, Cinema, and Theatre festivals became a part of Venice Biennale. The Venice Film Festival organized in 1932 in fact pre-dates all the other world festivals around the world. Becoming a true all-encompassing artistic establishment, in 1980 the Biennale hosted the first International Architecture Exhibition, and in 1999 Dance was added to the menu. In its early days, Venice Biennale used to be, as its name suggests, an event that took place every two years, but it has grown so popular over time that it is now held every year, with contemporary art exhibitions taking place on odd years and architecture exhibitions in even ones.

This year the 12th International Architecture Exhibition, directed by Kazuyo Sejima, will be held from August 29th to November 21st, 2010. One of the prevalent themes of the event will be sustainable building, featuring an off-site symposium on the approach to energy use and the alternative energy sources. This theme is very relevant to the issues faced by modern-day Venice, the unique historic city which strives to stay alive, vital and relevant while being positioned on the water in centuries-old buildings and undergoing frequent floods. Refitted historic buildings are being increasingly used for hotels and stores and the huge numbers of tourists arriving to the city in every season add to the stress on the Venetian environment, both natural and man-made.

You can read more on Venice Biennale on its official website at LaBiennale.org

A rare glimpse of Venetian life and art

GlassOfVenice — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 20:26:00 +0000

Anyone who has ever been to Venice has surely taken a vaporetto, a water taxi, or a gondola along the Grand Canal to get the first-row view of the beautiful palazzos adorning the Canal and the little winding alleys and canals on either side luring a tourist to explore the enchanting labyrinths of Venice. Yet what attracts tourists’ gazes the most on these Grand Canal trips are the heavily curtained or occasionally wide opened windows of these grand palazzos and the secrets kept behind them. We all peer into these windows hoping to catch a glimpse of Venetian splendor, magic, and “la dolce vita” that must surely accompany the centuries of richness and nobility.

Now there is finally a rare chance for the outsiders catch a glimpse of life behind the Venetian palazzos’ windows. Sotheby’s auction, the Splendour of Venice, that will be held in London on July 6, 2010, allows just such an opportunity by displaying and selling some of items that once adorned the interiors of Venice’s most beautiful palazzos during the heyday of the Venetian Republic.

64 articles comprising paintings, furniture and mirrors representing the best in Venetian painting and craftsmanship from the 17th and 18th centuries and collected over the years by a European family will be offered for sale in London. Carefully selected for their artistic and historical value, the pieces showcase the distinctive “Venetian style” formed in Venice under the influence of the city’s connections with the East and the West, as well as its unique feature of living on the water. As historian Roberto Valeriani eloquently puts it in his foreword to Sotheby’s catalogue for the auction, “Venetian style owes its distinctiveness to the gifted artisans of the city, but also to an innate sense of the luminous that brings precious materials to life. Anyone who has gazed on the frescoes, the furnishings and the plasterwork in the palaces along the Grand Canal knows that they are illuminated at certain times of day as light is reflected off the water into their interiors to create changeable, rippling effects.”

So if you can, go to London this summer and enjoy this unparalleled display of Venetian richness, splendor and superiority.