Green glass

The material that made the fortune of Empoli

Glass has always been an Italian artistic excellence; traditional Tuscany is the green glass of Empoli. Glass making in the city, and generally throughout the Valdelsa, has ancient origins and already around the early 400 is remembered the presence of workshops for the manufacture and sale.

The typical colouring which this quaint glass assumed, the "verde Empoli", was due to the high percentage of iron oxide content in the sands gathered from local rivers or the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea and which was then used in the production. The workmanship remained unchanged over time still follows the traditional techniques, whereby the Masters after working the glowing glass noodles with chopsticks, the blow to the mouth inside moulds up to let him take the form you want.

Born as a corollary of farming the necessity of containers for preserving two of the major agricultural food production in the region of Tuscany, olive oil and wine, the green glass well suited to this function; especially in the beginning it was a cheap material and thanks to its characteristic color filtered light and preserved products inside.

For many years he represented the towing community economic of Empoli. To learn about the steps that led to the development of this activity, you can visit the Museo del Vetro di Empoli;a museum where inside are exposed everyday objects produced by ancient kilns and explain the various stages of the production process. In order to protect the glass activities of Empoli in the early ' 70 was formed the Centrovetro Consortium with the aim of spreading beyond borders the quality and tradition of the Tuscan glass.