Rio dei Vetrai

Rio dei Vetrai is a small watercourse in Venice, located on the beautiful island of Murano.

The canal is dedicated to the local glassmakers (vetrai meaning glassmakers), and on its banks you can find many ancient glass factories.

DESCRIPTION OF RIO DEI VETRAI

Rio dei Vetrai has a length of about 500 meters and connects the Grand Canal of Murano, to the north, with Canale dei Marani, to the south.

ARCHITECTURE

The Church of San Pietro Martire is a church located on the western bank of the canal, in its northern part, dedicated to Saint Peter Martyr, a 13th-century Catholic priest.

Across the canal, there is the former Church of Santo Stefano, dedicated to Saint Stephen, with its beautiful Clock Tower (Torre dell’Orologio), one of the symbols of Murano.

The banks of the canal (Fondamenta Daniele Manin on the eastern bank and Fondamenta dei Vetrai on the western one) house many of the Murano glassworks.

Among others, there are the former Franchetti Murano Glassworks from the 19th century, the Gino Mazzuccato Furnace, the CAM Furnace from the 16th century, the AVEM Glassworks founded in 1830, and the Mosaic Factory from the 16th century.

On the banks of the canal, we can also find ancient palaces, such as the Gisberti House (Casa Gisberti) and Ca’ Corner, erected in the 14th century.

The canal is crossed by three bridges, from north to south: Ponte San Pietro Martire, which connects the Church of San Pietro Martire to Campo Santo Stefano and the former Church of Santo Stefano, Ponte di Mezo and Ponte Santa Chiara.

HOW TO GET TO RIO DEI VETRAI

Near the southern end of the canal, there is the Murano Colonna vaporetto stop, on the waterbus Lines 3, 4.1 and 4.2. Near the northern end of the canal, there is the Murano Da Mula vaporetto stop, on the same waterbus Lines.