Villa Rosa — Glass Museum

Villa Rosa is an elegant Art Nouveau townhouse from the early 1900s, purchased by the Italian state in 1992, restored, and now home to the Museo dell'Arte Vetraria Altarese — the museum of Altare's glass art tradition. It is the best reason to visit this small town in the Ligurian Apennines.

The collection covers the full sweep of Altare's glassmaking history, from the early medieval period through the guild era and into modern studio glass. There are blown pieces, pressed pieces, and examples of the distinctive Altare style that differs from Venetian glass in its more robust, less florid forms. The demonstration furnace in the garden is sometimes active, allowing visitors to watch masters at work — worth checking the schedule before you go.

Open Wednesday to Sunday (closed Monday and Tuesday). The museum is at Piazza del Consolato 4, Altare, and can be reached by car from Savona in about 20 minutes or from the A6 motorway at the Altare exit.

things to do museum architecture
A story
The Università del Vetro — Altare's glassmakers' guild — had its statutes recognised in 1282 and functioned as a kind of medieval trade secret society, prohibiting members from teaching techniques to outsiders on pain of heavy fines. The guild effectively governed the town for over five centuries. French families who had brought the craft from Normandy in the 11th century were still the dominant force when the guild was finally dissolved in 1823. The museum tells this story through the glass itself.