Since the year 1200 a tradition strongly associated with the island of Murano is the successful production of works of art in glass. The Barovier family is the guardian of this legacy and Palazzo Barovier & Toso is the secular temple of this artistry.
A furnace in the heart of Venice that, in addition to glass, also molds time. A hot furnace that since the year 1200 keeps an ancient craft alive, a tradition and style now baroque and minimalist, but still capable of marking an era in human history. Barovier glass products are the result of a refined craft, perfected over the centuries, which goes beyond what is currently in vogue and aspires to timelessness. The strength and patience that are necessary to shape the glass from sand and fire are combined with the meticulousness it takes to refine this same art.
An art that today is at once so alike and yet so different from that of seven centuries ago. It is still alive today thanks to the descendants of those early Baroviers who, at the end of the thirteenth century, already worked glass amid the canals of the Lagoon. Indeed Venice, a city, guardian of secrets and traditions, is the cradle of one of the oldest family companies in the world still in operation. In the 1400s, it was simple blown glass, that became real works of art by working with this material by hand. Thanks to Marietta Barovier, a rare female entrepreneur in the second half of the fifteenth century, who created precious objects appreciated and desired by the aristocrats all over Europe. 
Among other things, the decorations on the Barovier Cup are attributed to her. Today it can be found in the Murano Glass Museum. Even today, amid the canals of Venice, where the most precious glass in the world is created and appreciated, credit is owed to the Barovier family, which has made such a fragile and delicate material indestructible, thanks to the craftsmanship, art and design capable of resisting the sands of time. What the Barovier have handed down through the centuries is a tradition of sweat and hard work; it is a search for meaning and something that lasts far more than a single lifetime. All this, has echoed for twenty generations.
THE PALACE
On the bank of the Rio dei Vetrai, the historic Murano canal where the most important glassworks are located, stands the ancient Barovier & Toso furnace. To enhance the legacy of over 700 years of passion and skill, the company has created an authentic temple of luxury, the eponymous palace that brings together the wonders created in the heart of the island of glass. The 1920s building, located a few steps from the company’s old headquarters, has been recently renovated and extends over 9700 sq. feet spread over 3 floors. Symbol of sophistication and elegance, the palace is a testament of a Made in Italy that works, that knows how to renew itself and that is envied abroad. It is not just a showroom, but almost a “place of worship”, a temple of luxury where the Barovier & Toso creations decorate and complete a sophisticated, elegant, emotional and distinguished environment. History, tradition and the present-day coexist in the building, blending to uphold and continue a 7-century old tradition. Barovier & Toso perhaps has never been so robust and established as it is today, capable of reinventing itself over half a millennium of history and craftsmanship. It is inside Palazzo Barovier & Toso that, since last November, the extraordinary achievements of the Venetian company have been displayed. “We are proud to announce the opening of Palazzo Barovier & Toso” – said President Rinaldo Invernizzi – “a project we hold dearly and which confirms our commitment to a plan for continual growth and internationalization. With this goal in mind we celebrate our history, workers and the extraordinary glass masterpieces, which are a winning combination of modernism and tradition, art and design “.
In the enchanting setting of Murano it is now possible to see and admire some of the most famous and appreciated chandeliers in the world. The product of a technique that has made time its most important quality: a eulogy to the slowness of craftsmanship that molds every portion of glass so that it acquires a unique and unrepeatable form; a tribute to the authentic passion that for seven hundred years marked the accomplishments of the Barovier & Toso masters; a hymn to Italian creativity that dictates fashions and marks the times, through unique collections designed to illuminate the most exclusive rooms in the world, from here to eternity.
Alessandro Creta