This is an island near Venice where Murano glass is traditionally made – and still is. All sorts of luridly colored frogs and cats and Xmas decorations. And chandeliers, goblets and heavy necklaces. Some of it is amazingly beautiful. And some really isn’t. But I guess they’re trying to appeal to a very broad range of tourists and enthusiasts. Statistically someone is going to be an avid amusing frog or pig collector.
It was such a perfect day. We went to Murano in a fabulous, wooden trimmed open launch – James Bond style, wind in the hair, blue sky, sparkling wake etc etc. and then took the regular ferry to Burano*.
Murano is not nearly as quaint and touristic as it could be. It seems like a very congenial, ancient little village populated with real people with busy non-tourist industry based lives.
And Burano, nearby is also gorgeous but more heavily unnatural and one dimensional. It’s all about lace table cloths and people buying Pinocchio puppet souvenirs. It’s still very beautiful and sweet. Like a cross between The Prisoner and Legoland – but with pasta.
I think the lunch we had in Murano was our best meal in Italy.

*Murano / Burano
Amman / Oman
Philadelphia / Philadelphia
You have to be paying close attention to follow this blog on a map. Luckily there isn’t a quiz at the end.