Veneta, Italy, is famous for its serenity, and for its precious, colorful, and elaborate glass. The Venetian island north of Murano has been a famous Venetian center for centuries. Because I worked in the two hotels mentioned below, we left Venice with stories about delicate and expensive glass chandeliers.
Murano, the island of glass
Ride the vaporetti that features the Grand Canal on a great vacation in Venice, why not head for the island of Murano? Some of the world’s finest chandeliers are made by Murano artisans, who still demonstrate their craft in front of furnaces in glass factories around the island. Famous family names of art are Venini, Pauly, Seguso, Barovier & Toso, one of the 100 oldest companies in the world, around the year 1295.
Murano Glass Museum
The glass museum is located in the Palazzo Giustinian, the former bishop’s palace, around the corner from the 4.2 vaporetto stop from S. Zaccaria. The world’s largest collection of Murano glass from the 15th century is on display. The association of glass making in Murano from the 13th century, as is clear from the documents. Of the three large chandeliers in the grand foyer, the largest has 60 arms and dates from 1864, when it won a gold medal at the Murano Glass Exposition. Closed on Wednesdays, otherwise open 10 p.m. at 4 p.m. and until 5 p.m. from March through October.
Hotel Danieli
The steps in the lobby of the lagoon of the Hotel Danieli are located between St. Mark’s Square and the Bridge of Sighs. It’s easy to imagine this 14th-century, pink structure with enviable views of the Grand Canal as the once rich palace of Duke Danduli. Turn left in the tea salon with a huge fireplace mantle. Above your head, three chandeliers of gorgeous Murano crystal sparkle with subtle streaks of green, blue, pink, and red dangling into the spectacular setting. Clearing the intricate chandelier of drips and branches from the high ladder is almost time-consuming, taking weeks on end.
Hotel Excelsior Lido
In September, the Lido beach flows into the Venice-film-festival”>Venice Film Festival and has long been a dig for the rich and famous. The Hotel Excelsior, built in the Moorish style in 1908, overlooks the Adriatic Sea on one side and the Grand Lagoon on the other is considered a treasure. Musicians and bands must conform to the house rules for fear of damage. Ask for a peek and a beautiful day. Walk to the beach in 15 minutes.
Conservation
Four century-old chandeliers with a combined weight of 1 ton were carefully removed from the town hall of Sant’Agostino to be repaired by visiting master craftsmen from Murano. Although not early glass, these 18th-century Rezzonico-style specimens are expensive, richly decorated with floral ornaments and priced at $250,000 each are generally valued.
Web design by Daniel
Expensive, larger glass chandeliers are easy to spot, as they were designed before candles were invented for electricity. Newer chandeliers are designed with glass arms inside the wiring, while expensive, older ones may have carefully attached arms on the outside. Venice from war!
