On the island symbol of the finest glassmaking tradition, the vision of two Venetian entrepreneurs, Dario Campa and Alessandro Vecchiato, gave birth in 2019 to a cultural hub created within the former largest glass factory in Murano, an area that covers over 22,000 square meters once dedicated to the making of the tiny glass beads at the base of many splendid handcrafted jewels, called conterie.

The result of a remarkable restoration, today part of the hospitality group Relegance – The Unexpected Collection, Punta Conterie, projecting the Venetian artisan tradition on the contemporary scene, declines the glass art in various, original realities: Vetri Ristorante, a fine dining restaurant with a view, Vetri Bistrot and Cafè, for a more relaxed break, InGalleria, a space for temporary exhibitions, InGalleria Shop, selling books and design objects, and Fioraio Green Boutique, a cool floral laboratory.

We wanted to create a place that would express the true soul of Murano through art, food, and its unique history.

On the ground floor of the building, visitors can find the Bistrot, InGalleria Shop, and Fioraio. A space boasting cool details such as the original industrial brick walls and the typical “murrine”; geometrical decorations inserted in the resin floor made by local glass firms such as Tagliapietra, Fratelli Toso, Effetre Murano and Claudio Tiozzo. An original large staircase, fully covered with mosaic tiles, leads guests to the second floor.

Here, the rooms are characterized by a precious wooden floor, in herringbone oak, and a Sansovino-style ceiling with floral decorations. Besides the elegant Fireplace Room and the intimacy of the Privè Room, the real gem of the Vetri restaurant is the fascinating terrace overlooking the 3 main canals of Murano, open from April until October, which offers a wonderful view of the lagoon.

The mise en place is elegant, with long white tablecloths embellished with color contrasts thanks to handcrafted design objects, on sale at the store, such as the glasses with the Punta Conterie logo and the original napkin holders.

At the helm of the kitchen, the Italian-Filipino chef John Mark Nanit places the raw material at the center of his dishes, especially from the Venice lagoon, accompanying it with creative accents given by juxtaposed textures and international contaminations.

Next to the restaurant is the gallery that hosts art exhibitions. Among the most recent projects, the one dedicated to Lino Tagliapietra, one of the most important glass artists in the world, the one curated by Caterina Toso, glass historian and heir to the Fratelli Toso Archive, about the preparatory drawings of the great designers of the twentieth century, from Tomaso Buzzi to Fulvio Bianconi, from Ercole Barovier to Dino Martens, up to the one dedicated to the glasses that have made the history of design.

Punta Conterie is a real experiential journey that embraces the 5 senses, leading the visitor to discover the secrets of the island’s glass art, one of the most important craft traditions in the world.

The Secret

Murano became the capital of glass at the end of the 13th century when the Serenissima Republic of Venice decided to transfer all the furnaces of Venice there, both to avoid the outbreak of fires in the city, and to protect the secrets of glassmaking. The glass masters were, in fact, prevented from expatriating as well as telling anyone about the precious processing techniques that had to remain preserved within the island.

Punta Conterie
Fondamenta Marco Giustinian 1
30141 Venezia
Tel. +39 041 5275174

Starters and first courses: 18 — 29 euro
Second courses: 18 — 29 euro