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

The pieces on display include not only various ancient household items such as bottles, jugs, glasses, cups, saucers, but also glass jewelry created using some very complicated glass making techniques perfected in Roman era such as blowing glass and shaping it in a mould, filigrana (ribbon-like effect), and millefiori.

The exhibition will run till November 30th, 2010 and is located in Archaeological National Museum, Altino (in Veneto region not far from Treviso). It is open every day from 8:30am till 7:30pm

Although this distillery has always been well-known to grappa connoisseurs, it has recently achieved new heights and new level of fame. On the 6th of June in the Sant Artemio Park in Treviso, with almost 6,000 people watching, Distilleria Bottega presented its grandest creation yet – a gigantic bottle of grappa made entirely of Murano glass and measuring 2 meters in height, 30 centimeters in diameter. The bottle was filled with 138 liters of fine prosecco grappa, and was measured by the officials from Guinness World Book of Records, who confirmed that it sets the new world record for the Largest Bottle of Grappa.

This record-setting bottle of grappa took eight months of preparation, 200 hours of work and the sweat, blood and tears of six Venetian glass-blowers. This Murano glass giant has a diameter of 25cm, a circumference of 110cm and is 5cm thick.

But don’t despair if you were not in the 6,000 spectator crowd to catch a sight of this Venetian glass wonder. Distilleria Bottega sells its products in 110 countries and produces 6 millions bottles per year. Its Alexander line offers liquors in hand-blown Murano glass bottles, all made following the ancient Venetian glass-blowing. Buy one of this bottles, and you are guaranteed to enjoy not only outstanding grappa, but also its beautiful Venetian glass bottle long after the grappa is gone.

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.

Before People Mover started running, the ways to travel by public transport between the car parks, the Port and Piazzale Roma were limited to the infrequent bus service and one vaporetto line, and arriving to Venice by car with luggage or by a cruise ship made it tough to get into the city.

Venice’s People Mover is easy to ride: it operates similarly to airport monorails, riding along one pre-determined route, and the fare is one euro regardless of the length of your trip. Ticket-vending machines are located at every station near the entrance and accept cash (in euros).

So please take note of this new development next time you go to Venice and have an even more pleasant experience in La Serenissima.

Speaking at the presentation of the new Versace Casa collection in Milan on April 14th, Donatella Versace said: “I’m so proud because, with this new collaboration, we re-created some historical vases that Gianni had designed, obviously re-edited and streamlined.” The first Venini collaboration ran from 1997 to 2004.

The vases which will include new pieces as well as the legendary Heritage Collection designs from the 1990’s, will be numbered and initialed and will feature rich colors, geometrical patterns and bold designs. They will be available this Fall at all Versace boutiques, selected Venini stores, and other exclusive retailers throughout the world.

Unlike his opponent, Giorgio Orsoni is an integral part of Venice. From his residence on the Grand Canal he sees and feels this unique city. He is a very influencial local figure who holds such important posts as Primo Procuratore of the basilica of St Mark’s, a vice-president of the Fondazione Cini, a trustee of the Fenice theatre and thepresident of the Compagnia della Vela, the famous sailing club in Venice. In the interview to Italian newspaper “Corriere della Sera” he said, “This city cannot be understood if you don’t know its history and you don’t look at it from the water.”

Drawing on the strength of Venice’s geographic location and its importance as a long-established European cultural hub, Orsoni will strive to “reinforce the role of Venice as the metropolis of the north-east: a city of the future with man as its measure, which encourages work and enterprise, helps families and improves the environment. [We need] a town plan to demolish ugly structures on the mainland and then rebuild. Finally, [we want] to have high quality tourism.” To further set himself apart from his hyper-active opponent with many goals and no clear strategy, he said, “Venice is a world city, a beacon of civilisation that needs calm leadership.” Let’s hope that Orsoni will help Venice survive as a living breathing city and will find a way to keep the tourists coming without ruining the natural rhythm and authenticity of Venice.

Ages of water damage are killing Venice, its population is dwindling, and many of its historic palaces and churches are in dire need of restoration. Today famous Venetian floods, or “aqua alta”, occur much more often than in the past, making the need to act even more urgent. To help preserve the famous city on the water we are introducing Save Venice – a way for us and our customers to team up and help now, before it is too late. Let’s save the beauty that we still have in the world and ensure that our children will enjoy Venice just as much as we do! Here is how it works:

With every purchase made in our virtual store you will have an opportunity to donate for restoration and preservation of Venice. 100% of your donations will go to SaveVenice.org foundation. As soon as our clients donations total $100 we add another $100 and make a donation to SaveVenice.org, a non-profit American charitable organization working on projects to save and protect Venice and its cultural heritage. It is one of the most important of the 30 international committees that were formed under the umbrella of UNESCO to restore and protect Venice’s threatened masterpieces.

Read more about this program here: GlassOfVenice SaveVenice Program

We hope you will join in to help and make a difference by saving the city that we all love!

• The artisans consider their business a serious affair and heavily guard their glass-making secrets, so they would like to avoid any unnecessary distractions or intrusions


• The main expertise of the artisans is in production of Murano glass and not in entertaining tourists or explaining the process to them.


• The workshops arent’s staffed to handle the inflow of tourists


• No factories are usually interested in tourist visits just for the sake of showing them the glass-making process. Those factories that agree to hold these demonstrations do so for a chance to sell their wares, often in a pushy way and for above-average price.

• It is best to visit furnaces on weekday mornings. Most of them are closed during the lunch hour (which tends to be longer than in the U.S. and often runs until 2-3pm) and on weekends.


• These tours and demonstrations should always be free of charge. Do not agree to deal with anyone who offers to get you into the factory for a fee.


• In Venice, you may encounter sales representatives from touristy factory showrooms that will offer you a free boat trip to Murano. If you accept, be prepared for a lot of sales pressure when you get there and make sure you know how to get back. In fact it is always better to come to Murano by relatively inexpensive and efficient public transportation, and not have to depend on pushy salespeople.


• The exit from a demo is almost always through a richly stocked showroom where you may encounter variable amounts of sales pressure. Look at the prices first, and if things seem too expensive – don’t buy. The factories often give you an impression that they sell cheaper “direct from factory”, but this is not always true.


• If you do decide to buy something, either take it with you, or, if you’d like it shipped, make sure that your purchase will be very well packed and that you know how and when it will reach you. Take down the coordinates of the factory and the name of the salesperson in case any problems arise later on.


• Please note that almost all Murano glass factories are closed the entire month of August.

In these visits people rarely think about venturing outside of central Venice, yet taking a water bus (vaporetto) to Murano offers a very interesting experience, a way to see real living Venice without crowds and craziness, the Venice of the past. And the most interesting Murano attraction, little known yet unparalleled in the world, is its Glass Museum or Museo Vetraio. It is located in the Palazzo Giustinian (the Museo vaporetto stop), close to the famous Basilica of Santa Maria and San Donato. This museum boasts the best collection of Murano glass in the world that spans all major periods of glass production on the island from 15th to 20th century.

In addition to the outstanding permanent collection, the Museum runs temporary exhibitions focusing on various artists or periods of Murano glass making. The current exhibition running until June 15, 2010 is called “REDISCOVERING MUSEUM: The revival of the second half of the 19th century. Antonio Salviati and Vincenzo Zanetti”. It allows a rare look into the collections which are not usually exhibited to the public, yet are important and significant in underscoring the role of Antonio Salviati and Vincenzo Zanetti in reviving the art of Murano glass in the second half of the 19th century after a long period of decline.

This museum is open from 10am to 5pm from November 1st to March 31st and for an hour longer for the remainder of the year. The ticket office closes 30 minutes before the closing of the Museum. It is closed on Wednesdays and major holidays.

Address: Fondamenta Giustinian 8, 30121 Murano
Web: Murano Glass Museum, Murano, Italy


Murano Glass Museum in Palazzo Giustinian – Murano, Italy




Murano Glass Museum Exhibit – Murano, Italy




Murano Glass Museum Exhibit – Murano, Italy