MURANO AND BURANO ISLANDS

Murano and Burano islands

The islands of Murano and Burano deserve a separate visit …

A visit to Venice is incomplete without a visit to the islands.

Venice has been for centuries the epicenter of glassmaking creativity…

Murano

Venice was the epicenter of glassmaking creativity for centuries.

Artisans lived and worked in the city until leaders decided the risk of fire was too great and moved the glassmakers to Murano.

Over the centuries, creative glassmaking became Murano’s legacy.

The island filled with furnaces that spewed heat and smoke.

Burano

Burano is a fishing village known for its handcrafted lace and technicolor houses.

She sprayed her tail and created intricate sea spray patterns.

She used as her bridal veil for her upcoming wedding to her sailor.

The village girls were jealous of her veil and did their best to replicate the airy designs with needle and thread.

Thus beginning the tradition of Burano’s handmade lace.

Laces

Lace of every style and shape floats in the breeze outside the stores along the canals. A nod to Italy’s interest in preserving and supporting its traditional crafts and artisans.

Colors are heavily regulated (you have to write for permission before painting) and their origins disputed.

Some say the houses were painted brightly so that fishermen returning from the sea could spot their homes through the fog.

Visit Murano and Burano

The islands are delightful, but they involve a full-day commitment of time and effort and a very early start.

The vaporetto from Fondamenta Nuove is 5 minutes to San Michele Island.

10 minutes from San Michele to Murano.

30 minutes from Murano to Burano.

The return trip from Burano to Venice takes about 50 minutes.

If you want to visit all three islands, calculate a minimum of 9 hours, including transportation.

Lacemakers in Burano