In addition to capturing the hearts of travelers, Venice, Italy, also literally captures visitors. Physically and logistically, it is easy and necessary to detach from reality in Venice.
Logistical planning and navigation are required, along with patience and some concessions for time. Movement includes walking up and across small, stone bridges, traveling by sleek, stylish water taxis or hopping on and off the Vaporetto water busses back and forth across the Grand Canal or to one of Venice’s diverse islands.
I was invited to visit the little island of Murano, which, for some, is a day trip. However, for me, it was an opportunity to experience, for a couple of nights, the quiet charm of an island known worldwide for its blown-glass treasures.
After landing at Venice‘s Marco Polo Airport at night, I took a water taxi to Murano. I marveled, with some wincing, at the way the boat pilot zipped through the darkness between the unlit wooden poles identifying the channel across the vast, inky lagoon.
My hotel destination, NH Collection Venezia Murano Villa, had its own dock, where I disembarked and checked in. The friendly front desk attendant advised that cafes and restaurants close early on Murano, and I was excited to get the lay of the land.
So, I stepped out into the evening, careful not to walk right into the canal just outside the hotel’s front door, which is on the opposite side of the property from the lagoon.
The Warmest Welcome
Photo by Michael Patrick Shiels
Enjoying the absence of cars, I took a sidewalk stroll to see Murano’s glass-making displays and many museums. In addition, there were elaborate, dramatic churches, cute curio shops, and gourmet gelaterias.
Everything is waterfront, and so was Caffe Solitario, which was about the last place open, so I sat down at a little table beside the canal. It was worth remembering the canal is there because there are no rails or reminders of the sharp edge. One too many bottles of Peroni and I’d find myself swimming back to the hotel.
From the darkness emerged a server who initially startled me, but welcomed me warmly by placing a small lamp in the center of my little round table.
“Grazie mille! Buona serra, bella donna,” I responded, looking into the eyes of the “beautiful woman” and bidding her “good evening.”
She smiled and while touching the top to switch the lamp on, replied by sweetly singing out to me:
“Sei una luce come il sole!”
She then translated in broken English: “You are a light like the sunshine!”
Viva Venetians
To me, native Venetians are born with royal status in the amazing, aquatic Italian city that otherwise teems with day-tripping tourists and swimming with cruise ship shoppers.
Tony Veljaca is a Venetian who was repatriated after a hospitality career overseeing world-class hotels with world-famous guests in Australia and London. He now serves as general manager of the landmark NH Collection Venezia Murano Villa, the artistic hotel in the former De Majo Glass Factory on Murano.
Murano has been Venice’s glorious glass-making island since the 13th century. We spoke while sitting on one of the hotel’s verandas overlooking the hotel’s dock and the busy boats on the lagoon.
“Venetians refer to themselves as ‘Venetian,’ not ‘Italian.’ They are proud of their heritage. Everyone thinks they come from the line of a Doge. They are proud of the idea of the ‘Republic of Venice,’” Veljaca explained.
“We live in a place so different than anywhere in the world. I can see it in the eyes of my visiting guests: they are mind-blown. How was Venice built? How do kids get to school? Venetians feel unique, and that is a good thing.”
The Sweet Sacrifice of Existing in Venice
Tolerating life in Venice means constantly navigating its delicate collection of islands, bridges, boats and canals.
“There are not many Venetians left living in the city, but they are possessive of their city and very opinionated and headstrong. They want to be heard and are not afraid to say what they think,” Veljaca said. “To be a mayor or politician in Venice, you have a lot of people to answer to. It is a unique place that needs to be managed correctly.”
That includes the recent introduction of a system requiring payment of a $5-Euro fee to enter Venice, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, during peak periods. “We do not mind visitors staying two or three nights and enjoying our hotels. The problem we encounter is hundreds of thousands of people a year coming in for the day. It has an impact on our infrastructure. We do not want to be known as a theme park. Or a museum. We are a living city.”
Cruise ships used to dump 4,000 people on the docks daily. Those big boats steaming into such an intimate space more suited for romantic gondolas created environmental issues.
Lauding a Landmark With Luxury
Venice is very fragile and we want to carry it on to the next generation. I have traveled most of my life, but as a Venetian, I feel very strongly about it,” insisted Veljaca, who, as general manager of NH Collection Venezia Murano Villa, is a steward of Venetian history.
“We wanted to be true and honest to the heritage of this building, which has been a convent and a glass factory, so we maintained the industrial, ‘Murano elements’ our guests came to this island to see and discover. We kept the original chimneys and glassmaking ovens. The hotel is full of creative glass to remind you of the factory: elegant glass chandeliers, delicate glass artwork and molten glass masterpieces are displayed,” Veljaca explained.
Then he suggested it was not just the locally-produced prosecco I sipped that might engage more than my visual senses when in the hotel. “Sometimes you hear things…and it sounds like someone is making glass. There is an enchanting presence. Guests say they hear noises, and though it might be from the factory next door, it gives them a sense of what happened here.”
Community Collaboration
Being a Venetian managing a historic property on the intimate island of Murano requires Veljaca to be a diplomat. The first person he met when he took the position was the local priest in charge of six churches, including the neighboring beautiful Basilica Dei Santi Maria E Donato. “In some people’s eyes, he is more important than the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. He walked in and introduced himself,” Veljaca recalled.
“Your predecessor and I used to have coffee every day.”
“Fantastic,” Veljaca replied. “As long as I get a blessing once a week, I am okay with it. Who is paying for the coffees?”
“Well, you, as the general manager, will pay for the coffees,” the priest informed him.
Murano is a close-knit community. A working island with lots of families living there, according to Veljaca.
“Everyone in town knew my name as the new manager, so it was quite interesting. There is a tendency that locals do not frequent the big hotel restaurants. But we made Murano Villa a destination not just for the guests, but also for the locals by opening our doors to welcome the Venetians by inviting them for regular complimentary gatherings.”
Chef Filippo De Marchi’s menu items in the hotel restaurant, including duck breast, veal escalope, lasagna, caprese, prosciutto and a fresh selection of Venetian seafood delicacies, were as artistic as the waterfront dining room in which they were served.
Sights To See
Out wandering (you cannot get lost on Murano), try the Cicchetti Veneziani, a unique, ubiquitous Venetian savory snack at one of the many small restaurants or cafes.
San Pietro Martire Church and the Glass Cathedral are two worthy destinations to walk to, as is the original Murano glass factory. The Museo del Vetro—the Glass Museum—is just across the canal from the NH Collection Venezia Murano Villa.
The hotel property is suitable for corporate gatherings and events…and even hosts competitive sports teams traveling through the area seeking to avoid the maelstrom of Saint Mark’s Square.
Fear not, though, Piazza San Marco and the Basilica, Rialto Bridge, Doge’s Palace and the museums of Venice’s city center are reachable by a ferry shuttle from NH Collection Venezia Murano Villa or, more frequently, via the vaporetto boat dock near the front of the hotel. Elisabetta, from the front desk, cheerfully helped me find the dock and tolerated my “bruto” Italiano language.
Europe has a reputation for small hotel rooms…but my room at the NH Collection even had an outdoor deck area. So I could see the light of the sunshine. “Sei una luce come il sole!”
Read more of Michael Patrick’s work at The Travel Tattler and contact him at [email protected] Order his book Travel Tattler – Less Than Torrid Tales at https://amzn.to/3Qm9FjN
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