Venice is a city made by hand.
Behind its extraordinary palaces, decorated interiors, mosaics and precious objects lies a centuries-old tradition of skilled artisans working with glass, textiles, wood, metal and many other materials.
For travellers visiting Venice in October 2026, there is a special opportunity to discover this side of the city.
From 1 to 4 October 2026, the Venice Arsenale hosts the Salone dell’Alto Artigianato Italiano, an event dedicated to high-end Italian craftsmanship and the excellence of Made in Italy.
For an international visitor, however, this can be much more than an exhibition to add to a Venice itinerary.
It can be the starting point for a journey into one of the most famous artisan traditions in the world.
From the historic spaces of the Arsenale, simply look towards the lagoon. A short journey by boat leads to Murano, where glassmaking is not just part of Venice’s past: it is a living tradition that visitors can still experience today.
A Murano glass tour therefore offers the perfect continuation of a visit dedicated to Italian craftsmanship: from admiring exceptional handmade objects to watching Venetian master glassmakers create them before your eyes.
Discover Italian craftsmanship at the Venice Arsenale
The Salone dell’Alto Artigianato Italiano – which can be translated as the Italian High Craftsmanship Fair – celebrates the skills, creativity and knowledge behind some of Italy’s finest handmade products.
Its fourth edition takes place from Thursday 1 to Sunday 4 October 2026 at the Venice Arsenale.
During the event, visitors can explore different expressions of Italian craftsmanship, from jewellery and ceramics to textiles, furniture and blown glass. Workshops, meetings, presentations and live demonstrations also offer an opportunity to understand the work and expertise behind the objects on display.
And there could hardly be a more appropriate setting.
The Arsenale was once the heart of the Venetian Republic’s shipbuilding industry, a vast complex where specialised craftspeople contributed to building and maintaining the vessels that connected Venice with the Mediterranean and beyond.
Today, these historic spaces provide a fascinating backdrop for a celebration of contemporary Italian craftsmanship.
But some of Venice’s most important artisan traditions are best discovered outside the exhibition itself.
For one of the most famous, you need to cross the lagoon.
From Venice to Murano: where craftsmanship becomes an experience
When people around the world hear the name Murano, they immediately think of glass.
This small island in the Venetian Lagoon has become internationally synonymous with glassmaking, thanks to generations of artisans who have developed and preserved highly specialised techniques over the centuries.
Murano glass is admired for its colours, forms and extraordinary variety. But focusing only on the finished object means missing an important part of its appeal.
The real fascination lies in the process.
Glassmaking combines heat, movement, timing and extraordinary manual precision. A master glassmaker needs to understand a material that is constantly changing, knowing exactly when and how to shape it.
This makes Murano particularly interesting after visiting an event dedicated to Italian craftsmanship.
At the Arsenale, you can discover the wider world of Made in Italy and appreciate the results of highly specialised artisanal work.
On Murano, you can get closer to the process itself.
Watch a Murano glassblowing demonstration
One of the highlights of a Murano glass tour is the opportunity to watch a master glassmaker at work.
With a Serenissima Tour excursion to Murano, visitors can enter a traditional glass factory and attend a live glassblowing demonstration.
It is an experience that transforms the idea of craftsmanship into something immediate.
In the intense heat of the furnace, the artisan works with molten glass, shaping it through a sequence of precise movements. Within minutes, a glowing mass begins to acquire a recognisable form.
Watching this transformation helps visitors understand why the skills of Murano’s glassmakers cannot simply be reduced to a manufacturing technique.
They are part of a cultural heritage built on experience, practice and knowledge handed down through generations.
And that is precisely where the connection with the Italian craftsmanship exhibition becomes strongest.
The Salone celebrates the value of making things well. Murano allows you to see what that means in practice.
To understand Venice, travel across its lagoon
The journey to Murano adds another dimension to the experience.
Venice was built around water, and exploring the city only on foot means seeing just one part of its story.
As the boat leaves the historic centre, the perspective changes. Domes, bell towers and rooftops appear from the water, while the wider landscape of the Venetian Lagoon gradually opens up.
The lagoon is not simply the scenery surrounding Venice. It has shaped the city’s history, economy and way of life for centuries.
Its islands developed their own communities and traditions, and travelling between them is one of the best ways to discover a Venice that extends far beyond St Mark’s Square and the Grand Canal.
For Serenissima Tour, this way of experiencing Venice has a particularly long history.
Serenissima Tour is a brand of Serenissima Motoscafi, the historic Venetian company that has been organising boat excursions to the islands since 1924.
For more than a century, its boats have taken visitors beyond the historic centre to discover the lagoon and its islands.
Today, passengers can enjoy the journey aboard panoramic boats, with onboard staff providing assistance and information throughout the excursion.
From Murano glass to Burano lace
The connection between the October craftsmanship event and the lagoon does not have to end in Murano.
Another island offers a beautiful continuation of the story: Burano.
Known around the world for its brightly coloured houses, Burano also has a centuries-old tradition associated with handmade lace.
Choosing a Murano and Burano boat tour therefore creates an itinerary naturally connected to the theme of craftsmanship.
In Murano, glass and fire take centre stage. In Burano, visitors encounter a completely different island atmosphere and another traditional craft closely associated with Venetian culture.
Those with more time can continue their exploration with a full-day excursion to Murano, Burano and Torcello.
After experiencing Murano’s glassmaking tradition and colourful Burano, the journey continues to Torcello, one of the lagoon’s oldest and most peaceful inhabited islands.
Three islands, three different atmospheres and a completely different perspective on Venice.
Visiting Venice in October 2026? Continue the journey beyond the exhibition
If you are visiting Venice for the Italian High Craftsmanship Fair at the Arsenale, consider the exhibition as the beginning rather than the end of your journey.
After discovering the creativity of Italian artisans, step aboard a boat and cross the lagoon to see one of Venice’s greatest craft traditions in its original setting.
Visit Murano. Enter a glass factory. Feel the heat of the furnace and watch a master glassmaker turn molten glass into a work of art.
Then continue across the water to discover the colours and traditions of Burano or dedicate a full day to Murano, Burano and Torcello.
The connection is simple: the Arsenale celebrates craftsmanship; the islands allow you to experience it as part of Venetian life.
And the journey between the two reveals something equally important.
Venice is not only a city to walk through.
It is a city to discover from the water.
Discover Murano and the Venetian Lagoon with Serenissima Tour
Make your October visit to Venice a journey through craftsmanship, tradition and the lagoon.
With Serenissima Tour, you can travel by boat to Murano, experience a live glassblowing demonstration and continue towards some of the most fascinating islands of the Venetian Lagoon.
Choose your Murano glass tour, explore Murano and Burano or spend a full day discovering Murano, Burano and Torcello.
Continue your journey beyond Venice and discover the traditions of the lagoon from the water.
You may also like to read:
