Outside the main island of Venice there are at least another six of noteworthy size: Giudecca, Lido, Burano, Torcello, Sant’Erasmo and Murano. This last one attracts plenty of tourists every day who come to visit the glass factories that have made the name of this island famous worldwide.

The blowing technique is the special feature of this production; after 1295, Venice’s government restricted all the artisans into the island, either because the glass creating process was dangerous, either to preserve and hide the special techniques of its workers from the rest of the world.

But Murano is more than a bunch of glass factories, as I discovered during my working period in an hotel on the island. Here the difference between the tourists and the locals is more emphasized than in Venice, because of the size and the composition of the island, with its fewer hotels and touristic places.

Walking through this small Venice means experiencing a slower rhythm of life; time flows in a different way and people have preserved their traditions. It’s easy to find fruit and vegetable markets and observe family gatherings in the courts of buildings. I love walking through the streets and discovering new access point to the seaside, quiet places perfect to enjoy all the beauty of the laguna. The sea appears more far and wide and it inspires me a true will of exploring.