The island of Murano is only a 10 minute ride from Venice. Located in the north lagoon, it is famous for its artistic glass. Glassmaking was officially moved from Venice to Murano in 1291 due to the spread of fires, and the art of glass was protected by a law which banned families from sharing the secrets of its production. The factories are still very active today and attract visitors from all over the world; from the more traditional techniques to contemporary design, it is absolutely incredible to witness how this craft is still carried on and the magic entailed.
With this said, today I want to talk about a different Murano, perhaps less known but still so so interesting. An island of female artists and cooks, with a great sensitivity for the environment and for contemporary art and design.
JUDI HARVEST and her HONEY GARDEN
The first person I’d like to mention is Judi Harvest, an American artist living between New York and Venice. Judi is a multitalented personality and her artistic work and personal research intertwine different sectors. In this post, I’d like to focus on her project Honey Garden, hosted in the Giorgio Giuman furnace, where she started a beehive back in 2013. The garden is a place where bees, plants, bats, and humans can live together in harmony, underlining the importance of protecting the environment and precious endangered species that are essential for the ecosystem.
Judi has created a series of sculptures in blown glass and paintings that want to raise awareness on the connection between man and nature through beauty, implying a delicate and fragile media such as glass, which is also a metaphor of the frailty of the latter and certain species. The garden is a permanent installation and the bees produce an exquisite honey that can be found in selected places in Venice (for example, at the cafeteria and bookshop sullaluna, where it is sold together with a book and a small glass bee). Judi’s work is always present during the annual Murano Glass Week event, and I highly suggest to support her artistic and environmental project, which adds a new perspective to the ancient craft of Murano Glass.
NADIA SAPONARO - SVO CERAMICS
Nadia is an incredible human being and sensitive soul. She fell in love with the art of pottery in Spain, but it is in the Venetian lagoon where she decided to set roots. After graduating in Foreign Languages at Ca’ Foscari University and a series of travels, she started working and researching clay, collaborating with the local potters’ association I Bochaleri. She opened her studio in 2019, where you will find her engaged at her wheel, combining different textures such as the more coarse grès with the fine-grained and translucent porcelain. Her pottery is one-of-a-kind, featherweight and elegant.
The brand is called SVO Ceramics. Over the years, Nadia developed many collections. One of the most recent is focused on the colors of the lagoon at different times of day and seasons. A study of the territory, where sky and water merge. The different textures and shades well describe the variety of this unique land and are also a metaphor of life, never still and never the same. A few months ago, she was one of the selected ceramicists at the exhibition held at Palazzo Venart on the occasion of the event Homo Faber, where she exposed an incredibly earthy collection on grey tones and with a texture that shows well the delicate roughness of natural clay and the lightness of porcelain.
ACQUASTANCA RESTAURANT - GIOVANNI ARCANGELI & CATERINA NASON
Last but not least, I want to suggest an exquisite place to eat in Murano: the restaurant AcquaStanca, opened 14 years ago by sisters-in-law Giovanna Arcangeli and Caterina Nason. Born in Murano, their families are involved in the glass industry, yet these two lovely women, decided to pursue their own passion and share with the world their interpretation of local ingredients and traditional recipes.
The restaurant was a former bakery, dismissed, which they recovered and entirely redesigned. Caterina was an architect and while helping Giovanna with the project, she decided to quit her job and … well, the rest is history!
The restaurant has a warm decor, in dark wood, with ancient objects mixed and matched with more contemporary touches. The bread is served in old wooden molds once upon a time used to make ricotta cheese, the dark grey linen napkins are sided by small handmade ceramic cutlery rest sets; then you will notice the ancient Murano mirrors and the modern glass vases, always enriched by fresh flowers, and -of course- the beautiful vintage wooden tables and marvelous dark wood cupboard. The dishes too are lovely, a mixture of modern ceramics and the Venezia 700 tableware.
In addition to all this, the most important thing here are the food and wine. With a carefully selected Italian wine list (particular attention is paid to regional wine) and dishes based on seasonal local ingredients. Giovanna takes care of the clients, helped by the only man in the staff, lovely Pedro, while Caterina works in the kitchen with two precious helpers. She loves to prepare fresh pasta, a specialty is the pasta au-gratin, and desserts that are absolutely to-die-for.
Despite all the hard work, they are easy-going and friendly, so the atmosphere is relaxed and laid-back. The perfect place to eat in Murano!
Address: F.ta Manin 48, Murano
Phone: +39 - 041 31 95 125
Email: info@acquastanca.it
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