TUSCAN GLASS

From the Medici to via Montenapoleone

Ever since the Renaissance, Tuscany has been regarded as a cultural center and the birthplace of artisanal art. The first Tuscan glassmaking workshop was founded in Florence in 1695, by Cosimo I dei Medici, and from that time on, in the small towns along the Arno river, the Tuscan glassmaking tradition took hold and developed.

In Empoli, in particular, there is a Glassmaking Museum that pays homage to the Tuscan contribution to this ancient art. Not so long ago, craftsmen were the custodians of know-how they accrued over a lifetime of experience and then passed on to their sons, taking pride in the quality of their work, down to the smallest detail.

Today, this pride is reflected in the precious artisanal pieces produced by Vetrerie di Empoli. The quest for perfection starts with the kiln, where the forms are shaped as if by magic, as if the artisan shaping the glass already knew the desires of those who would later acquire the finished piece.

This is the air one breathes in the Vetrerie di Empoli boutique in via Montenapoleone 22, in Milan, a shop halfway between a craftsman’s atelier and a modern design studio, where clients can find items fashioned with timeless artisanal expertise, expressing a perfect balance between tradition and modernity.

THE ROOMS

The store provides a series of sensations and emotions in a sequence of rooms: from the Glasses Room, dedicated to collectors, to the Antiques Market Room, for aficionados of vintage tableware.

CHRISTMAS DISPLAY

During November and December, all the shop is set up dedicated exclusively to Christmas, whose décor changes each year. Everyone’s tastes, from the simplest to the most sophisticated, can be satisfied here.

THE HOME OF VETRERIE DI EMPOLI

Vetrerie di Empoli offers its elegant residence as a location for events: a space of ca. 160m2, suitable for groups of 60 to 100, on the floor above the store and recommended for cocktail receptions, press conferences and presentations.

It is completely renovated and embellished by precious antique Murano glass chandeliers, which perfectly reflect the charming ambiance of the stately old palazzo. The herringbone parquet floors, the painted fireplace, the high ceilings and the windows facing out on the most famous and international street in the city of Milan combine to make this space a unique fusion of the traditional and the modern.