Glass

There is no written evidence of this folktale, but the abundance of timber, ferns and streams – the basic raw materials of glass - made that area particularly attractive, so much so that French craftsmen moved there to build their glass melting furnaces.

Today, glassmakers combine traditional with state-of-the-art materials and techniques ranging from wheel engraving, which dates all the way back to Roman times, to leaded glass used to decorate public and private buildings and mostly applied to the colourful windows of religious buildings. New materials include Pyrex and borosilicate glass, both of which have outstanding thermal resistance.

The Art Glass Museum in Altare is a major exhibition centre, where very important works of art, such as the Giganti di Vetro and ancient tools are on display and help visitors understand the development of glass and glass making over the centuries. In the outdoor spaces, master glassmakers show visitors some special glass-making techniques using demonstration kilns.