Venitian Glass on Murano Island

Want to see first hand how Venitian Glass is made? Check out Murano island, just a 30 min boat ferry away from the main city of Venice!



What made Murano's glassmakers so special? For one thing, they were the only people in Europe who knew how to make a mirror. They also developed or refined technologies such as crystalline glass, enameled glass, glass with threads of gold, multicolored glass, milk glass, and imitation gemstones made of glass. Their virtual monopoly on quality glass lasted for centuries, until glassmakers in Northern and Central Europe introduced new techniques and fashions around the same time that colonists were emigrating to the New World.
If you are even remotely interested in Glass Blowing, visit the Museo Vetrario, or Glass Museum, which is located in the Palazzo Giustinian near the island's center. The museum holds samples of glass from Egyptian times through the present day, and the displays show how the art and manufacture of glass developed over the centuries. (It's open every day except Wednesday, and admission is free to holders of the Venice Card.)

Interview: Traveling to Italy Podcast

Mark and Martin were recently interviewed on the Traveling to Italy podcast (Episode 36) on Talkshoe. The host, Jules, packs his program full of travel info, stories, and suggestions from his many trips to Italy. It's a great way to get ready for your next trip to Italy.

Interview: Amateur Traveler Podcast

The Amateur Traveler talks with Mark Pearson and Martin Westerman the authors of the “Europe from a Backpack” series. These first-person accounts paint vivid pictures of a traveler’s experience in Europe. Hear stories about running with the bulls, why you should not drink 3 franc wine, finding a job serendipitously, being a pilgrim or just being a pain to your fellow travelers.
Amateur Traveler Podcast #75

Video: Feria de Sevilla

The Feria de Sevilla is April 24-29, 2007. Hostels fill up fast so book ahead at the Oasis Backpackers' Hostel in Sevilla

Video: Il Palio in Siena

The Il Palio takes place in Siena, Italy, every July 2 and Aug 16.
New York Times article on Il Palio

Video: Bach on Glass in Madrid

If you're in Madrid, be on the lookout for this guy playing Bach on wine glasses.

Review of Italy From a Backpack

Travel is something some people do to rest. Some use it as a mere diversion. Others do it to learn. Others do it as a spiritual thing, a calling if you will. For them travel offers a connection to others like (and unlike) themselves. Finding those connections - the ones that don't divide us - is an inspiration.

Italy from a Backpack is a book - actually part of a series of books - intended for those who are looking for more than a great hotel or a fine place to dine or even for some untrodden back roads. It is a book about connecting with other cultures in special and unusual ways. Because of that, it is also a book for those who don't travel but would like to make similar connections, however secondhand they might be.

Editors Mark Pearson and Martin Waterman have put together an anthology of travelers' experiences. Their demands were high. They chose stories beyond the glorious museum moment or the smell of baking scones (however delightful experiences like these might be).
Read the full review at MyShelf.com