The Island of Burano
A myriad of islands dot the lagoon, a convenient day trip from Venice, the most idyllic of these is arguably Burano.
A fisherman’s island village on the lagoon known for the tradition started long ago that each family would paint their home a different color to differentiate theirs from the rows of adjoining houses. The effect transforms this little island into a rainbow so whimsical that it feels like something out of a dream.
Burano is similar to Venice in that it has canals of its own crisscrossed by bridges, however, Burano has a more relaxed holiday atmosphere, it is smaller, more local village feeling with much more whimsy.
The multi-colored streets are themselves a visual treat but they are topped off by mouth-watering smells wafting from the many eateries that sprawl along the water as visitors dine outside enjoying the view.
Shops and stands take advantage of the summer influx, selling lace, glasswork, and beads from the nearby island of Murano. Burano is well renowned for its local lacemaking craft. We were told that the quality that earned Burano’s lacework its reputation requires immaculate execution and each kind of stitch takes time to master. So to ensure perfection, each woman would train themselves execute perfectly one specialty stitch and then the lacework would pass from one woman to another to complete the final work.
A story is told about the lace craft’s origins in Burano. A young engaged fisherman was out on the lagoon when a mermaid attempted to seduce him. However, he couldn’t be distracted and his faithfulness impressed the siren queen. To reward him she thumped the side of his boat with her tail, creating an exquisite foam that formed a wedding veil for his bride-to-be. The veil was so intricate the likes had never been seen. The story has it that the women of Burano were so enchanted with the beauty and quality of this wedding veil that they attempted to replicate it for themselves and attempt after attempt produced finer and finer work becoming the lacework that Burano is famous for today.
We made the acquaintance of a local woman Bluna whose family has been making lace for generations, she didn’t speak a word of English but she was so sweet and engaging we somehow stayed and talked for half an hour, gesturing and looking up words to communicate didn’t deter her.
Burano’s leaning tower
Losing ourselves in the maze of color we wandered with no aim enjoying the afternoon. We discovered that like Venice, Burano sports its own leaning tower, a 17th-century fixture still in use.
As the sun dipped low we queued up to catch the ferry back to Venice, leaving the playful beauty of this island behind.