The End of a Long Tradition in Empoli

On May 24th of this year, (2012), the Vetrerie Empolesi closed their doors.

The Vetrerie Empolesi was formed when the factories: Azzurra, Vetreria S.A.V.E., and the Cristalleria Arno closed in 2008.

About 30 glassblowers came together to form the society Vetrerie Empolesi.

One of the first things the did was buy 5 new Falorni Furnaces, costing probably over 200,000 Euro.

As demand fell their running costs became their downfall.
In the end they used only 2 of their 5 furnaces.

This marks the end of a more than 300 years history of glassblowing by hand in Empoli.

The only factory that continues to blow glass in Tuscany is called IVV and it is located in Arezzo.

There are still companies producing Crystal in Empoli, but glass, for which Empoli has been known for, is now part of it's past.

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