Burano: a colorful island
Burano is no doubt the most colorful island in the Lagoon of Venice, the facades of its houses are painted pink, blue, green, yellow, indigo. The inhabitants decided to paint their houses to give fishermen a way to see their homes when they returned from fishing and fog enveloped the island. A very popular landmark, painted in a plethora of bright colors, is “Bepi’s house”.
The island is made up of several islets linked by bridges, one of which takes to the island of Mazzorbo. The only square in Burano is Piazza Galuppi with the Church of San Martino Vescovo. The bell tower is strongly leaning, due to a sinking of the wooden piles on which the basement was built. The statue of Baldassare Galuppi, famous organist and composer also known as “buranelo”, stands at the center of the square.
The historical traditions
Once an island of fishermen and farmers, Burano is mostly known today for its traditional lace-making craft. The art of lace-making appeared at the beginning of 16th century, Venice became an important center of this industry. At the end of 19th century, thanks to the enterprising efforts of Mr. Fambri and Countess Marcello, a lace-making school and workshop were founded here, under the patronage of the Queen of Italy, Margherita of Savoy.
The island’s food specialty is the Bussolà, a delicious S-shaped biscuit (also seen in a round version), made of flour, eggs, sugar, butter plus variable flavours. For a sweet stop-over, your address is Palmisano Carmelina bakery in the island’s square.
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