MURANO

The people of Venice have been making crystal and glass (the difference beetwen the two lies in the amount of lead used) since as early as the 10th century, when the secrets of the art were brought back from the East by merchants. The bulk of the industry was moved to the island of Murano in 1291 because of the danger of fire posed by the glass-working furnaces.
Venice had a virtual monopoly on the production of what is now known as Murano glass and the method of the craft were such a well-guarded secret that it was considered treason for a glass-worker to leave the city.
The incredibly elaborate pieces produced by the artisans can range from the beautiful to the grotesque - but, as the Italians would say, "i gusti sono gusti" (each to his own). 
Watching the glass-workers in action in shops and factories around the island is certainly interesting.
The Museo Vetrario contains some exquisite pieces. Across Canale di San Donato is one of the few private mansions of any note on the island, the 16th-century Palazzo Trevisan. The nearby Chiesa dei SS Maria e Donato is a fascinating example of Veneto-Byzantine architecture.