Glass making in Murano

Murano is a little island about a 20 minute water taxi ride from San Marco in Venice.

Our hotel (Hilton Molino Stucky) offered a 'free' taxi to Murano and a tour of a glass making facility. Yes, I know, nothing in this world is free, but it could be cheap, right?

The glass making facility was interesting and we learned a bit about the craft; however after about 30 minutes the full-court press was on. We were led through a series of show rooms (Signoretti) with glass chandeliers, vases, and various artwork by approximately 50+ local artists.

I know, you're now thinking...how much did the 'free' tour set them back. Well, let's just say that in 4-6 weeks a pretty little parcel from Murano, Italy will be arriving in the US. It was either feed a small country for a year or buy a piece of artwork. No, not really, but damn, I could have picked out some pretty fancy diamonds :)

In all seriousness, the piece is lovely and it will always remind us of our summer holiday in Italy. And, it gets to double as Chuck's birthday present from me, so that's one less thing to think about!