Murano - the Glass Island

Breakfast at 8 and I phone the chairman of the local chess club. I tried yesterday afternoon, but he was not at home and his wife knew nothing about my visit.

Antonio speaks excellent English. He'll be at the chess club shortly after 5 p.m. and we're welcome. He has a training session with some boys, but if interested I can have a look at the club's library.

Having made the arrangement with Antonio we leave for Murano, the glass island. Venetian glass was once unique. Because of the fire risk the glassmakers were "deported" to Murano, a small island north of Venice, and this also made it easier to safeguard craft secrets.

Later the secrets leaked anyway (with good help from travelling Venetian craftsmen), and although they are still capable of making beautiful stuff, the bulk production nowadays is souvenirs rather than chandeliers that require at least 6 meters from floor to ceiling.

Intermezzo on the Deck

On the boat to Murano we're lucky to get seats on the small quarterdeck where there's a bit of air. I look through the free paper "Leggo" in search of a weather forecast. The weather is marvellous (though on the hot side), but will it stay this way?

It must be the paper that tricks the old man next to me into a sudden torrent of Italian. I excuse myself and explain that he must speak slowly - lentamente - if I'm to understand.

He smiles and then asks - lentamente - why the two stupid tourists have taken a position in the doorway where they block the breeze?

The tourists probably suffer as much from the heat as he does, but I don't say that; instead I offer him my paper to use as a fan, and while he fans himself we have a lentamente-talk about the weather, which is hot but fortunately not as hot as in June last year.

In the Glass Workshop

Like most we get off at the first Murano stop, Colonna. A local tells two Italian tourists that they can easily wait and no matter where they get off, it isn't far. Well, if it makes no difference this place is as good as any!

As our feet step on firm ground an eager gentleman tells us that just around the corner we can watch glassblowers at work, but no later than 11 - so don't wait!

Of course we turn the corner on the left and helpful voices and hands guide us into the workshop. It all seems a bit too smart and too smooth, but let us see. We are seated and a loudspeaker tells about glassmaking in English, French and Italian and announces that now "il maestro" will make a vase.

Il maestro blows a vase, but I feel confident that most of us have seen more advanced blowing in our time. Far more impressive is his next trick where he conjures a horse so fast it seems like magic.

You take a lump of liquid glass and roll it into a short sausage.
Roll the sausage in some powder and softly shake it a bit longer.
Pull the sausage with a pincher and behold, you have a horse's head.
Cut a bit with a pair of scissors and the horse has got a mane.
Pinch and pull four times and you have made four legs.
Pinch and pull a fifth time, amputate the rest of the sausage and you have got a tail.
Gently shake the newborn foal until the legs stand straight and can carry. There you are!

Very conveniently there's a boutique just outside the workshop. Conveniently I let Helle have a look in the shop while I get a puff in the fresh air. A few meters away is a much bigger shop, and as we walk along there are shops galore - competition is fierce.

We follow the signs that point to the centre and have a coke in the shade by a canal. They are cleaning mussels in the kitchen, and the toilet is squat-design with no seat. Whoa, it is hot!

Murano's Glass Museum

The glass museum isn't far so we spite the heat and again our Venicecard works its wonders. Glass through time and age is exhibited here and we are duly impressed; especially the chandeliers take your breath away: you need at least 6 meters to the ceiling to house such a monster!

It is now very hot, and gasping we catch a boat back to Venice, change at Ferrovia and get off at San Tomà not far from the sandwich bar. We get a toast and some of the good sparkling water.

It is about 1 p.m. and there are many customers who need a bite for lunch. Before siesta however we enjoy an espresso in the good air-conditioned bar in the alley to the vaporetto stop San Silvestro.

Despite being only 20 meters from the main route of the tourist pilgrims this bar seems to attract locals only. The service is kind, fast and efficient and prices are very reasonable.

Visit to the Chess Club

After the siesta we return to Ferrovia, the stop by the railway station. We are to visit the local chess club named after a local master, Esteban Canal, which seems a very appropriate name for a club in Venice.

The boat is packed and it is very hot. The mobile phones of a Japanese woman beside me ring again and again; she speaks Japanese with the red phone and Italian with the grey.

My clean shirt is ready for ironing when we get off. As instructed we walk up Calle Misericordia and to the right after Pensione Villa Rosa. Shortly after there's a small square where the club has its own rooms in a newly built residential area.

The chairman, Antonio, arrives shortly and offers a hearty welcome. Antonio is a lively man in his sixties. He immediately begins to tell about the club and the historic pictures on the walls and soon he is showing us books and magazines from the club library.

The kids arrive; three 12-14 year old boys and a girl. We are to study a game played by the girl. She had the black pieces in a complicated Sicilian game and skilfully stayed clear of muddy waters when White tried to complicate even more.

After 20 moves she had a clear advantage with well positioned pieces whereas the white pieces had awkward positions and were un-coordinated in order to cover the weaknesses.

In this situation she made the wrong decision and exchanged heavy pieces instead of maintaining the pressure and exploit her superior mobility. The endgame was still advantageous, but she was probably nervous and accepted a draw.

Antonio points and explains excellently, but somehow I miss some praise, so I praise one move in particular, which was truly excellent.

After this Antonio shows a game between Karpov and Ribli. Karpov is a virtuoso and you can learn a lot from his games, but his style is truly dull and I'm pleased when I'm introduced to a "maestro".

We go to the next room and play some blitz. He plays well and aggressively, but he is probably tired after a days work, because I win 3 games fairly easily and 1 is drawn.

I feel sorry for Helle who is still suffering Karpov's acupuncture-chess, so we prepare to leave and wave goodbye to Antonio. He immediately interrupts the lesson to say goodbye.

He would love to show me his library, or we can meet here at the club, or he can show us around or... Before committing us I want a word with Helle so we agree that I'll phone him tomorrow morning.

Evening at Il Giardinetto's

It is about half past seven and instead of trying pot luck at some new place we agree to go back to Il Giardinetto, where we had dinner yesterday. Vaporetto #82 is faster than #1 (fewer stops) and it stops at San Tomà.

Why it doesn't go further than Rialto on this particular trip I don't know, but there is nothing else to do than walk the rest of the way. It isn't far though. Fortunately there's a table outside by the canal and the birds.

Helle gets gnocchi with 4 kinds of cheese and I get tagliatelli with fresh mushrooms. For main course we get a very tender entrecote with frites and a salad. Along with this a pleasant Bardolini and bird-chat. Afterwards we go straight home with no detours.

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