Born in Murano in 1936, Raffaeli went to a local school and at the age of fifteen he began working with the Seguso-Dalla Venezia glass furnace. There he met Piero Scaramal, from whom he first learnt the secrets of the magic art that makes Murano well known as the capital of glass making. During the seven years spent with Scaramal, Raffaeli developed his skills and his personality, advancing step by step in the traditional career of a glass maker, from "garzone", the furnace boy, to "primo servente", a first level assistant. The second furnace Raffaeli worked at was also very famous, the Salviati's. There he experienced with different techniques, from glass blowing to "massiccio" glass, the working of a mass of glass that results in large, solid sculptures. In 1966 Raffaeli entered a new furnace, Briati's, where he became a glass master and realized the designs of Flavio Poli. Finally, together with his assistants and some friends, he decided to start a new adventure. It's the beginning of Ars Murano that in a very short time reached an enormous success with its sculptures, sold all over the world. Today Raffaeli, who has reached the higher point in his artistic career, can and must sign every single piece that he realizes.