Murano Museo A

The Museo del Vetro on the island group of Murano, north of Venice's old town, is a museum founded in 1861 and devoted primarily to the island's glassmaking art. Glass production on Murano has a long tradition dating back to the 10th century, when the furnaces were moved out of the city to prevent fires. The museum is housed in the Palazzo Giustinian, the former seat of the bishops of Torcello, whose central ceiling, with frescoes by Francesco Zugno and Francesco Zanchi, has been preserved. Originally conceived as an archive, the collection grew through donations and additions from other municipal holdings into one of the largest glass art collections in the world. You see the exhibits in seven chronological sections, ranging from antiquity to the present day. The exhibition includes classical and Art Nouveau pieces as well as modern works by renowned glassworks and designers, documenting the rebirth of Murano glass since the second half of the 19th century.