As a regular visitor to Venice, I return to the famous sights again and again, go to every new art exhibition—and when all that is done: I shop. There are countless delicious little boutiques all over the city, many run by remarkable craftsmen and women. Through the advice of friends and by generally trawling the back streets for treasures over the years, I have gathered a list of favourite places.

Murano is the primary source of Venice’s famous glass, but anyone looking for exceptional pieces should also visit Marina and Susanna Sent (Campo San Vio, Dorsoduro 669; tel: 041 520 8136). Not only do they blow the most exotic elongated bottles but they have a special technique of cutting bulbous football-shaped vases as if they were multi-faceted diamonds.

My other recommendation is Amadi (San Polo 2747, Calle Saoneri; tel: 041 523 8089) for the most whimsical, tiny animals in coloured glass. I bought a delightful yellow frog, with a long, outstretched leg, to add to my son’s frog collection, and then could not resist a couple of rearing horses and a cat. The shop is little more than an alcove but well worth visiting to watch the artist at work with his candy sticks of glass.

Antique glass beads set into wood alongside other materials, such as small ceramic tiles, often feature in the beautiful frames made by Cornici Trevisanello. Small masterpieces in themselves, this company’s frames are in demand by major art galleries in Venice and elsewhere. The smaller items make wonderful gifts (Fondamenta Bragadin, off Campo San Vio, Venice, Italy; tel: 041 520 7779).