venice, italy - part 3

on our final day in venice, we were treated to beautiful weather and bright sun, a very welcome change to the drab, overcast grey cloud of the previous two days.

we decided to leave the main island and check out one of the other, smaller islands around the lagoon. we didn't have a lot of time, since we'd be flying out later that evening, so decided to visit the most popular and well known of them - murano.

murano is known for its skilled artisan glass-blowers, crafting intricate and beautiful jewelry as well as home furnishings such as vases and chandeliers. a signature murano touch is rainbow swirls in the glass, composed of many vibrant colours.

we took the vaporetto to the island and strolled up to the main part of the island (the canals meet in a 'T' junction near the centre of the 'island'). small shops lined the streets, and you could still see some larger buildings which once housed glass factories.

venice isn't that big, as you may have gathered from our previous posts, and murano even less so. pretty soon we were at our sole destination for the day, the murano glass museum. it was a fascinating lesson in the finer points of how glass is made and coloured. we were able to see a showcase of some spectacular works of art, including some enormous chandeliers.

we took the vaporetto back to the main island and, after wandering around for a bit, we found a real gem of a restaurant tucked away on a quiet street. the patrons were locals and the menu was all in italian - generally good signs. the food was excellent, including the octopus carpaccio, calamari and fish soup.

when our meal was done, it was a vaporetto and a bus back to the airport. and, with that, we bid arrivederci to venezia.