The art of heating fine sand, sodium calcium and a few minerals and rolling it into glass was invented by the ancient Phoenicians. Around about the 7th century an Italian navigator brought the process ...

Some 27 of the world’s leading contemporary artists—including Ai Weiwei, Sarah Sze, Paul McCarthy, and Laure Prouvost—have been enlisted to collaborate with local Italian artisans to create new works ...

Murano has been Venice’s glorious glass-making island since the 13th century. Tolerating life in Venice means constantly navigating its delicate collection of islands, bridges, boats and canals.

The Venetian island, famous for its glass, has long been on the wane, but 700 years of expertise is a terrible thing to squander. By Ray Mark Rinaldi This article is part of our Design special report ...