We are approaching Murano, often called the small Venice, as it resembles the city only in miniature form. It is composed by 5 island and it also has its own Canal Grande flowing through it. Originally it was populated by refugees, who in the 6th century, began to flee from the hoards of invading Longobards on the mainland. The island is famous worldwide for its production of glass, however the tradition did not begin here. Glass-making was in fact originally practised in Venice, but in 1292 the State decided to move the production centres to Murano, to avoid the risk of fire outbreaks, which were all too common in Venice, as most buildings were at the time made out of wood. The secrets of glass-making were so jealously kept by authorities, that if a mastro vetraio – expert glassmaker – decided to move elsewhere outside of Venice, a couple of hitmen would be sent to kindly persuade him to return home, unless death seemed a preferable option.