Murano Glass Factory

On this cold and very rainy day, we were transported by water taxi to the island of Murano to the famous glass blowing factory. So what, you might say. All Joanne had known about glass blowing was the fragile little animal trinkets sold at fairground concessions. But in Murano, we sat on bleachers in a factory that has been in operation for a very long time and watched one of the few artist left in Murano create art from the living molten glass. We were then led into one of several well lit rooms where hundreds of Murano vases, tea sets, goblets and figurines sparkled in the light. I (Joanne) crumbled. I have a deep seated policy not to shop on a trip like this. The expense of the trip alone is more than I can handle. I usually buy one little thing to remember the trip, but that's it. However, if you know about my passion for cooking and serving good food, you must realize it would be deeply tempting for me to spring for a piece of Murano glass. Initially I resisted the temptation.

We moved through five rooms of this art. One sculpture called "the Family" consisting of an 18 inch slab of glass about five inches wide. Emerging from this multi colored slab was the head and breasts of a woman with two children at her side. There was no male figure. The light reflected a different earthen color arrangement from every angle. Janice and I were deeply, deeply moved, and I still fantasize calling up Mruano Glass and asking them to ship "The Family" to me.

In another room, we did purchase a set of small fish for some very dear friends. And then on to the last room of goblets and precious serving pieces. There, it was. A smaller version of a goblet with six glasses, with a 24 carat gold skyline of Venice fired into the deep blue set, each piece one of a kind. The salesman knew I was folding and cut the price by 1/3. My feet and heart began to wobble. George put out his credit card. And we own this beautiful piece of art, that I look at every day and think of Mystical, Sinking Venice, in all its beauty.