We left Torcello behind us to go on with our trip at the discovery of the Venetian Lagoon. First stop: Burano, the island of lace, with the crooked bell tower, the delicious Bussolai biscuits and the colorful houses.

Burano actually happens to be one of the ten most colorful places on Earth!

Burano is an island of the Northern Venetian Lagoon, which counts about 3000 inhabitants. The name Burano comes from “Porta Boreana”, so called because it is placed on the North-East, the direction where the wind Bora blows.

We had already managed to notice the magical atmosphere of this island from the boat that brought us there. Even the water that surrounds it has a unique shade of blue! The reason for this phenomenon is related to the color of its houses, which have become Burano’s distinctive mark. The legend tells that the fishers painted their houses in bright, different colors to recognize them off the shore when they were out fishing for long periods of time.

So our colorful adventure began. We didn’t have a predefined itinerary: to enjoy Burano at its best, one must get lost!

We walked through small “calli” and tiny alleys; it seemed that that place was somewhat enchanted: Burano seemed to be inhabited just by pinwheels, flowers and small garden gnomes.

This is the island of clashing colors, with the saturated house walls, at odds with the white of clothes hung to dry and the lace on display. Indeed, many shops sold lace there, but one caught our attention particularly, namely the atelier of Martina Vidal.

This shop has been sewing luxury household linen for four generations, using the famous Murano lace. Inside the atelier we could find beautiful Italian handcrafted creations. These products are made of the finest premium fabrics, such as cashmere, linen, satin and silk. Visiting the atelier, it is possible to admire the creation of lace, and even to take part in courses to learn this unique ancient craft. During our stop we managed to see a senior lacemaker at work: we listened to her telling something about her story and her love for lace.

The craft of lace-making was handed down from mother to daughter, and it started to spread in the Republic of Venice around 1500. One of the many legends tells that a sailor brought a gracious seaweed to his loved one, and she embroidered its shape using sewing thread, creating the very first lace. This art started to be widely spread around the end of the XIV century, thanks to the Doge’s wife Morosina Morosini, who was fond of it. The first laboratories started to open, and a proper school was founded at the end of the XIX century. This craft beaceme the main resource of this island, with the aim of restoring the economic condition of Burano. However, after World War I the slow decline of this craft began, culminating in 1970, when the school was definitely closed. From 1981 the historic Burano Lace School headquarter became a museum, our next stop during this tour. The old school archive was turned into a exhibition space, where visitors can admire important creations from the XVI to the XX century, with more than a hundred valuable samples from the school’s rich collection.

Today, only few lacemakers are left: they’re mainly senior ladies that you can meet walking around Burano, while they work sitting right outside of their house doors.

Every corner of Burano made us feel incredibly curious, so we ended up getting lost. Our attention was caught by the vivid colors of the houses, reflected on the canals. It seemed like someone painted on the water, it was impossible not to stop and take some pictures of these astounding reflections!

We stopped to taste some delicious Bussolai biscuits, and then we decide to go back to the pier. As soon as we got there, we noticed a peculiar wooden bridge that led to another island. We got really curious once again, and we decided to cross it: who knows what was waiting for us on the other side…