Our factory
Anfora Murano Glassworks
Vetreria Anfora, based on the island of Murano, dedicates its life to glass every day. Founded in the early 1970s by the Ferro family, it was born with the commitment to preserve and revive the centuries-old tradition of Murano glass, transforming it into works of artistic and artisanal quality.
The Roots
In the mid-1970s, Renzo Ferro, with his father Giulio Ferro, a master glassmaker for generations, started the furnace: it was a period in which artistic Murano glass was already well established. recognized worldwide, but it needs new energy and new interpretations, with the ambition to honor tradition while looking beyond.
With the master Andera Zilio in the 1980s, the long list of great collaborations with artists and designers began, who still frequently stop by the furnace today.
Vetreria Anfora grew and changed its identity: it specialized not only in the production of classic artistic glass—elegant, rich, rigorous—but also in the virtuoso reproduction of the most refined techniques of the Murano tradition: the canne, the filigrana, the somersi, the incalmi.
The Roots
In the mid-1970s, Renzo Ferro, with his father Giulio Ferro, a master glassmaker for generations, started the furnace: it was a period in which artistic Murano glass was already well established. recognized worldwide, but it needs new energy and new interpretations, with the ambition to honor tradition while looking beyond.
With the master Andera Zilio in the 1980s, the long list of great collaborations with artists and designers began, who still frequently stop by the furnace today.
Vetreria Anfora grew and changed its identity: it specialized not only in the production of classic artistic glass—elegant, rich, rigorous—but also in the virtuoso reproduction of the most refined techniques of the Murano tradition: the canne, the filigrana, the somersi, the incalmi.
The present and the soul of the furnace
Today, under the guidance of Maestro Andrea Salvagno, the furnace has become a laboratory that not only produces glass objects but also creates true works of art. Andrea is a master of complex processes—reticello, incalmo, zanfirico, and sommerso—and above all, he loves hand-blowing, because "touching" the material means fully understanding it.
We are currently collaborating with artists and designers from all over the world: in the furnace, they can transform ideas and projects into glass. This ability to be a bridge between tradition and experimentation makes us a lively, open, and creative place.
We are currently collaborating with artists and designers from all over the world: in the furnace, they can transform ideas and projects into glass. This ability to be a bridge between tradition and experimentation makes us a lively, open, and creative place.
The formative role and the transmission of values
Anfora is not only a production laboratory but also a place of training: the masters who have worked there have taught ancient and sophisticated techniques to new generations of glassmakers, keeping Murano's technical heritage alive and allowing shared experimentation with external artists and international schools.
Our commitment
- Preserving ancient and often rare techniques and passing them on to new generations.
- Working entirely hand-blown glass, with care and participation.
- Giving 'form' to the glass, listening to the material and giving voice to the ideas that overlap.
- Being a point of reference on the island of Murano for those who believe that the art of glass is more than a product: it is an experience, a dialogue, an emotion.
Our commitment
- Preserving ancient and often rare techniques and passing them on to new generations.
- Working entirely hand-blown glass, with care and participation.
- Giving 'form' to the glass, listening to the material and giving voice to the ideas that overlap.
- Being a point of reference on the island of Murano for those who believe that the art of glass is more than a product: it is an experience, a dialogue, an emotion.
The masters
Giulio Ferro — is the founding master, the paternal figure of the Anfora company: a member of a family of glassmakers, he is one of the founding masters who passed on traditional knowledge and artisan rigor to the furnace, training generations of glassblowers and helping to make Anfora a laboratory capable of high-precision workmanship.
Andrea Zilio — the Master most associated with Anfora today: born in Venice in 1966, he obtained the qualification of “First Master” within the glassworks, trained by Giulio Ferro. Zilio is Known for his mastery of complex techniques (reticello, incalmo, zanfirico, sommerso) and for his predilection for hand-blowing as the central gesture of his practice.
Thanks to the intuition of Renzo Ferro, owner of Vetreria Anfora, Andrea Zilio initiated collaborations with international designers and artists, a practice that was not widespread in the 1980s, giving impetus to the entire sector in research and development activities.
He has taught (among others) at the Pilchuck Glass School and the Abate Zanetti Glass School in Murano, and is also the author of works under his own name that have been exhibited and sold internationally.
Andrea Salvagno - His passion for glass was born at just 16 years old, when he took his first steps as an apprentice in Giovanni Cenedese's historic furnace. From that moment on, he began a journey of growth and dedication that would lead him to become a glassmaker. to transform a simple interest into a true art. At Formia he honed his talent until he became a master glassmaker, dedicating over twenty years of work at the furnace and mastering the most diverse glassworking techniques. The experience at La Murrina marked a new fundamental stage, further enriching his artistic and professional vision.
He subsequently landed at Berengo Studio, where for ten years he collaborated with famous international artists such as Ai Weiwei, Tony Cragg, Luigi Benzoni, Juan Ripollés, Thomas Schütte, Zaha Hadid, and Albert Van Acker. These collaborations allow him to blend artisanal tradition and contemporary language, bringing glassmaking to levels of excellence.
Today, with the same passion as his early days and a unique wealth of experience, he puts his mastery to work for the Anfora furnace, continuing to experiment, innovate, and tell the story of glass through creations that combine technique, art, and soul.
Andrea Ferro- Renzo's son, an experimenter with all techniques, looks to the future, working as he did a thousand years ago and also creating his own personal projects, in a constantly evolving research perspective.
Andrea Zilio — the Master most associated with Anfora today: born in Venice in 1966, he obtained the qualification of “First Master” within the glassworks, trained by Giulio Ferro. Zilio is Known for his mastery of complex techniques (reticello, incalmo, zanfirico, sommerso) and for his predilection for hand-blowing as the central gesture of his practice.
Thanks to the intuition of Renzo Ferro, owner of Vetreria Anfora, Andrea Zilio initiated collaborations with international designers and artists, a practice that was not widespread in the 1980s, giving impetus to the entire sector in research and development activities.
He has taught (among others) at the Pilchuck Glass School and the Abate Zanetti Glass School in Murano, and is also the author of works under his own name that have been exhibited and sold internationally.
Andrea Salvagno - His passion for glass was born at just 16 years old, when he took his first steps as an apprentice in Giovanni Cenedese's historic furnace. From that moment on, he began a journey of growth and dedication that would lead him to become a glassmaker. to transform a simple interest into a true art. At Formia he honed his talent until he became a master glassmaker, dedicating over twenty years of work at the furnace and mastering the most diverse glassworking techniques. The experience at La Murrina marked a new fundamental stage, further enriching his artistic and professional vision.
He subsequently landed at Berengo Studio, where for ten years he collaborated with famous international artists such as Ai Weiwei, Tony Cragg, Luigi Benzoni, Juan Ripollés, Thomas Schütte, Zaha Hadid, and Albert Van Acker. These collaborations allow him to blend artisanal tradition and contemporary language, bringing glassmaking to levels of excellence.
Today, with the same passion as his early days and a unique wealth of experience, he puts his mastery to work for the Anfora furnace, continuing to experiment, innovate, and tell the story of glass through creations that combine technique, art, and soul.
Andrea Ferro- Renzo's son, an experimenter with all techniques, looks to the future, working as he did a thousand years ago and also creating his own personal projects, in a constantly evolving research perspective.
Other names and significant collaborations
Negli anni Ottanta e oltre, Anfora è diventata laboratorio di progetto per molti designer e artisti, realizzando lavori su commissione e collaborazioni con nomi come Yoichi Ohira, Ritsue Mishima, Emmanuel Babled, Melvin Anderson, Maria Grazia Rosin, Michele Burato, Cristiano Bianchin, Massimo Micheluzzi, Ivan Baj, Marco Mencacci, Andrè Laurenti, Janine Thungen-r, Tristano Nicolis di Robilant.
Queste collaborazioni hanno rafforzato il ruolo della vetreria come ponte tra tradizione muranese e ricerca contemporanea.
Queste collaborazioni hanno rafforzato il ruolo della vetreria come ponte tra tradizione muranese e ricerca contemporanea.
