The Changing Future of Murano Island

Nason Moretti, Murano Venezia - Friday June 17th

Murano Island has built it’s heritage on glass, waking before the sun and sleeping when the kilns are retired for the evening. It is a quiet place that draws tourists from Venice for day trips to this quint, crafty island. I was lucky enough to personally experience this wonderful art of glass blowing and fell in love with the charm of the sleepy streets of Murano, but what role does a one industry region play in an increasingly globalized world?

The factories we visited, from the much more modern Nason Moretti to the traditional chandelier fabricators of Galliano Ferro, both expressed the need to be flexible and open to new ideas. A ‘glass island’ since the 13th century, cheap imports, a weak economy, unchanging styles and an aging industry are just a few factors contributing to a decline in the craft. 

Looking to preserve the islands economy, Murano is looking to diversify with a more proactive approach to tourism, rather then rely on Venice day-trippers. Currently Murano can accommodate 72 overnight guests, by summer of 2012 a total of 130 rooms will be added in the form of a luxury hotel built out of a former glass factory that closed its doors to production in 1992. By 2013 another 150 rooms, spa, fitness center, ballroom and convention center is projected to open. Will Murano benefit from this shift? Increasing overnighters will increase the need (and desire) for shops to stay open later, restaurants to serve dinner, bars to provide nightlife and transportation to become more frequent. Everything set to bring in more revenue, but will it still retain the charm that I fell in love with? Will tourists increase the demand for cheap glass trinkets or increase interest in the unique Murano glass pieces that are the result of glass masters generations in the making?


Shannon, Victoria, Calvin