Venetian glass

Pierluigi Penzo
Master glass artist

We visited Pierluigi in his new studio in Amelia, where he makes glass pearls, which are fashioned into bracelets, necklaces, and earrings.

Pierluigi learned the art of glassmaking in Murano, then lived in Milan before moving to Umbria several years ago to continue his craft. His glasswork is sold in shops in Rome and the US but it remains a small family operation, with Pierluigi working with his wife, Fiorita, also a glass artist, and their two young sons were kicking a soccer ball outside the shop after school when we visited.

When I first met Pierluigi last year, I wasn't surprised to learn that he knew Giovanni Voltolana, a glassblower at Kevin Gray Glass - one of my neighbours in Merrickville. Giovanni was born and apprenticed in Murano before emigrating to Canada 30 years ago. I get the feeling everybody knows everybody in Murano - much like Merrickville! Small world indeed.