Fun Fact: Murano glassblowing was once so sacred that a law introduced in 1295 prevented glassmakers from leaving the island. Government officials feared local glassblowing secrets would be leaked to ...

<br>It’s no surprise that Thomas Mann set his masterpiece about doomed beauty, <i>Death in Venice</i>, in this city. The place has an air of decay about it, as though it is about to crumble into the ...