Ancient Conterie Attraction

The Ancient Conterie, industrial memory of glass in Murano

Away from the main tourist showcases of Murano, between the Glass Museum housed in the Palazzo Giustinian and the Basilica of San Donato, lies a vast complex of brick buildings that for over a century was one of the island's great centers for the production of glass beads. Closed in 1993 and gradually rehabilitated, this former industrial complex now stands as one of the principal testimonies to working-class Murano, quite different from the glass shops that line the busiest thoroughfares.

An immense glass bead factory

Industrial activity developed on the site from the 1830s. The conterie are small beads obtained by cutting hollow glass canes into tiny cylinders, then rounded hot in metal trays called ferrazze. In 1898, fourteen Muranese companies joined together to form the Società Veneziana per l'Industria delle Conterie, concentrating production in a complex that would reach about 22,000 m², of which 15,500 m² covered.

Between the 1940s and the 1970s, the company employed more than 3,000 people. The manufacturing process involved many specialized trades, from drawing and cutting the canes to sorting, polishing, and stringing the beads. Women played a particularly important role, especially the impiraresse, who were responsible for stringing them.

Closure and repurposing of an industrial district

International competition and changing markets led to the gradual decline of the activity from the 1970s. The company definitively closed in 1993, leaving a considerable industrial wasteland in the heart of Murano. The City of Venice purchased the entire site in 1995 and undertook a long program of decontamination and repurposing, combining housing, public spaces, craft activities, and cultural functions.

Part of the former workshops has thus been integrated into the Glass Museum, which has a large temporary exhibition space in the old complex that preserves certain elements of the industrial architecture. This extension makes it possible to directly link the artistic history of Murano glass with that of its industrial production.

Punta Conterie, the former workshops repurposed

On the perimeter of the complex, another part of the buildings was restored as part of a private initiative and inaugurated in 2019 under the name Punta Conterie. The project originally combined exhibitions, glass, design, and gastronomy in spaces that left the old industrial masonry largely visible.

Punta Conterie today houses, among other things, an exhibition and event space, a bistro, a restaurant, and shops.

Sources and further information

• Museo del Vetro — Spazio Conterie — history of production, the company, and the former complex.
• City of Venice — Area Ex Conterie — history of the site and memory of its trades.
• Punta Conterie — official website and current activities.
• Ingenio — Riqualificazione dell'area ex Conterie — dimensions and repurposing of the complex.