Born in the Italian town of Brescia, Roberto Beltrami grew up just a few hours’ drive from Venice and the island of Murano, world-famous for producing beautiful glassware. But it was nearly 4,000 miles away in Boston, Massachusetts, that he first came across the art of glassblowing.
“I was just so struck by this material, the colors, the transparency, the shapes,” recalled Beltrami.
It was 2011, and Beltrami, then a sophomore physics student at Boston University, was captivated by an exhibition of the work of American artist Dale Chihuly. Known for pushing the boundaries of contemporary glassblowing, Chihuly’s pursuit of his craft has taken him around the globe, including a stint in Murano in the 1960s.
Beltrami visited the island on his summer break, taking up a class in glass blowing. That class turned into an apprenticeship, and the summer turned into a year. Beltrami quit university, trading lecture halls for roaring furnaces, sweating it out in centuries-old workshops, and studying under some of the world’s most renowned glassblowing masters.
At one time, Murano was the global leader in glassmaking, renowned for unparalleled quality, style, and innovation, including the invention of “cristallo,” clear glass.
But over its 700-year glassblowing history, Murano has faced numerous challenges, and in recent years, the number of factories has plummeted. While many in the industry say that young people are disinterested in pursuing hot, hard manual labor, Beltrami has a different perspective.