LOCATION – BURANO, ITALY

Millions of visitors per year are entranced by the canals and history of the beautiful floating city of Venice, Italy. And don’t get me wrong, I have been too! But, there is an island within the lagoon of Venice that, for me, is a must visit when taking in the Venetian sights.

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Burano is famous for the many beautifully colored houses that line the green watered canals. Reflecting off the water’s still surface, the peaceful water is very much translated into the lifestyle of the island. 

The tranquility and calmness is a wonderful respite from the hustle and normally very bust tourist center of Venice. This extends to the 4000 residents including the older ladies that huddle together in stores and charming town squares embroidering delicate lace.

The different colors of the houses, which today represent the island’s main feature, previously were used to identify the properties and their families’ inhabitants. An ancient legend also suggests that fishermen painted their houses bright colors so they could see them from a long distance whilst away working in the fog.

Even today, it is compulsory for the neighbors to paint the facades of their homes to keep the bright colors rich and vibrant for visitors. These colors are however predetermined and an exact shade is allocated depending on where their residence is located.

I love Burano because its so quiet and is such a nice relaxing afternoon from the hustle and lines of Venice. Shooting photos here is a pleasure because of the colorful homes of course, but the leading lines from the canals and boat mooring posts that add interest to the images.

The streets are stuffed with details. Tiny window boxes filled with flowers, bikes, children playing football, clothes hung on lines and the smells of the food from the local fish and pizza restaurants. The gelato, as you would expect, is wonderful!

The other standout feature of Burano is the leaning bell tower. It’s been slightly off now for a couple of hundred years. Due to the marshy conditions of the lagoon, the tower and connecting church, like much of the island and Venice itself, has undergone a number of restorations to account for the constant sinking into the ground!

Locals of course have their own story, saying that the government, in an effort to make the building stand higher and boost the island’s prominence, messed up the calculations! Forgetting about the weight of the bell, the tower slowly tilted to the side to where we see it today! 

There are two ways to get easily to the Island of Burano. Public transport via the Water Bus LN at Nuovo or San Zaccaria takes you directly. It’s around 45 mins to the island and is a wonderful trip offering great views of Venice on your return. On my last trip (when I took these photos), I took the water bus directly.

The other is via an English speaking guided tour. This will take you to the other islands of Murano and Torcello as well. I have traveled both ways, and the tour is excellent with great information about the islands and their history.