Isola di Murano Local Custom Tips by Jerelis

Glassmakers in action.

The word Murano nowadays suggests glass factories and glass blowing. In fact the development of this island in the Middle Ages is strictly connected with glass. Like we said at the end of the 13th century the Venetian government decided to move all existing glass factories in Venice to the island. Because of this decision the methods of the craft became such a well-guarded secret that it was considered treason for glass-workers to leave the island.

Finally we saw some glass-workers in action and that was quite fascinating! We saw the workers in several outlets along Fondamenta dei Vetra, but were told that there are also a couple on Viale Garibaldi, just look for the sign "Fornace" (furnace). We witnessed someone creating glass from sand using fire and air. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take any pictures. We asked the question why Murano´s glassmakers were so special. They answered us that they were the only people in Europe who knew how to make a mirror at that time. But they also developed or refined technologies such as crystalline glass, enameled glass (smalto), glass with threads of gold (aventurine), multicoloured glass (millefiori), milk glass (lattimo) and imitation gemstones made of glass. Their virtual monopoly on quality glass lasted for centuries. After this nice conversation they allowed us to take two pictures. How about that?

Address:
The island of Murano.

Directions:
Murano can be reached from the Fondamenta Nuove taking the LN Line.

Voltage, frequency and plug ins.

Maybe it sounds a bit weird, but as an experience traveler I know that you every now and then need this kind of information in advance: electricity in Italy is 230 Volts, alternating at 50 cycles per second. If you travel to Italy with a device that does not accept 230 Volts at 50 Hertz, you will need a voltage converter.

There are three main types of voltage converter. Resistor-network converters will usually be advertised as supporting something like 50-1600 Watts. They are light-weight and support high-wattage electrical appliances like hair dryers and irons. However, they can only be used for short periods of time and are not ideal for digital devices. Some companies sell combination converters that include both a resistor network and a transformer in the same package. This kind of converter will usually come with a switch that switches between the two modes. If you absolutely need both types of converter, then this is the type to buy.

Outlets in Italy generally accept 1 type of plug: Two round pins (see the picture). If your appliances plug has a different shape, you may need a plug adapter. Depending on how much you plan to travel in the future, it may be worthwhile to get a combination voltage converter and plug adapter.