Burano, Venice

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Less than an hour away by vaporetto, Burano is waiting for you! The whole island is eye candy and a photographer's paradise. I live near Venice and go here often, even in the winter.
Wander around without bumping into the tourist crowd, drop into a trattoria and eat with the locals, or stop for a cappuccino and do some people watching.
You can walk along the canals and see the fishermen up close and personal, see their nets, and equipment, and they don't mind you talking to them. They enjoy the fact that you have come out of Venice to see their proud island.

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Refugees fleeing from the Huns settled here in the 5th century. Best known for its lace, it also has a thriving fishing industry. Its most famous native son was the composer Baldassarre Galuppi. The 16th century church of San Martino stands in the center of its main square, with a huge tower that dominates the view. Like its more famous counterpart at St Mark's square, it leans to one side; one can only hope that it doesn't meet the same fate.

Burano is one of the islands of the Venetian archipeligo. Combining a trip out with a visit to the Cathedral at Torcello (see seperate tips) means that you not only get a half-day trip out of Venice proper but also you get to feel that you have got some sort of value out of your expensive Vaporetto pass.

The island is about 40 minutes away across the lagoon. Most people head to Murano and take a boat from there, but it is also possible to take a direct (if longer) ferry from St Mark's.

The island itself has become something of a tourist trap with the main 'street' laden with shops selling the traditional lace products of the island. Just shooting off down any sidestreet soon gets you away from the sheep and land you in a mix-match of different coloured houses. Houses are painted in all sorts of mainly pastel shades. Only a complete idiot would not be able to take a good photograph here.

The tradition of painting houses in brightly covered colours appears to quite well regulated. I had imagined that when Fabio and his wife thought things needed brightening up they just popped down to Mario's all-night paint emporium and just asked him what was the daftest colour they had in stock. Apparantly it is not that simple - you have to lodge a request to the council and they give you a list of allowable colours for your residence.

However it works, it works. The cornucopia of colours somehow reminded me of may a small village in the west of Ireland. Perhaps Burano is what Ireland would look like if it ever got any sunshine. A must visit.

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A trip to the islands of the lagoon is a full day activity, but in our opinion a must do! We had loads of fun visiting the islands of Burano, Murano and Torcello!
Burano is known for its lace making and there is plenty of hosiery available in this island. It is around half an hour by ferry from Venice. It is also known for its brightly colored houses, mostly fisherman's houses which were brightly and distinctly colored so that the fishermen could identify their houses from a distance itself!

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The best part of Burano isn't the lace which is beautiful of course. The best parts are off the main drag. Just make a left, any left and see where it goes. You can't really get lost even if you have have a lousy sense of direction. This is a small island. Beautiful little canals, beautifully painted houses, beautiful little squares, well you get the picture.

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Burano island is something for heart and soul. The old fishermens’ island is approximately 45 minutes to Venezia’s west, just next to Torcello. Every house is painted in a different colour. There is almost no colour possible that is not represented there. Together, this makes a magnificent mix of colours – just a feast for the eye. Try and don’t race through the village. It is worthwile to wander through the streets, take in these colours and the atmosphere. In the backstreets and canales, there are lovely options for reflection photos. Yes, make sure to take lots of film or cards and batteries.

In addition, you can visit the lace museum Museo de Merletti, learn about the skilfull art of lace making. It is open daily except Tuesdays, entry fee is 4 € in case you don’t have the Venice Card Orange (in which it is included). You can also buy lace here, but as for glass, it is not cheap. I learned that a table cloth of typical size would need 3 years, made by 10 embroiders. So calculate this before you go. The cheap stuff sold on the island is most probably also Chinese crap, but it is not yet that much condemned by Venezia’s officials – maybe as Burano is a bit more out in the lagoon.

And there is chiesa San Martino, with a very much crooked belltower and a Tiepolo painting inside.

It is easy to get there. Vaporetto line LN (Laguna Norte) leaves every half hour from Fondamenta Nuove (every 10 min and 40 min past the hour). I described more about how to get there, the boat trip itself and the island of course on my Burano page, of which I have added the link below.

You can combine Burano with a trip to Torcello.

Burano is another small island of the Venetian lagoon. The same way as Murano is known for its glasswork, Burano is known for its lace. As soon as you leave the vaporetto's landing stage you'll see the vending stalls that sell lace and linen. The island is quite small and densely populated and the houses that line the streets are painted in bright colors which makes the stroll very enjoyable. The main thoroughfare is Via Baldasarre Galuppi which ends into a beautiful piazza. Here you can find the Lace Museum (Museo del Merletto) where you can find out more about this craft.

Burano occupies four tiny islands inhabited mainly by fisherman. Though it is mostly famous for the traditional art of lacemaking which the woman of the town have been handing down to their daughters for centuries, Burano also boasts remarkeable artistic treasures.

We wanted to take time to visit at least one of the islands in the Lagoon and our choice fell on Burano since I loved the prospect of its famous colourful houses. I was not disappointed and moreover, we found some of the best food during our stay and plenty of greenery for our six-year-old.

And now, toward our last stop - Burano

Burano is in one word - a beauty. The houses are painted in lively colours - they must paint them very often. This is an island, filled with pictureque scenery, green parks, narrow streets, with shops full of nice laces, products made of glass, ceramic and more and more.