Looking to get away from the maddening crowd? Find the perfect getaway a little further from Venice on the island of Burano.
There are many good things about the country of Italy. Amongst its amazing cuisine and the fabulous football team the thing that stands out most is the natural beauty that the country is gifted with. There are many different places of astounding beauty within the boot shaped country but probably nothing stands in comparison of the floating city of Venice. There is yet another hidden haven that lies close to the northern part of the Venetian Lagoon. If you travel northwards for about forty miles by motorboat you are going to hit one of the most exotic islands in Europe.
The extremely colorful attractions
The drastic difference in the atmosphere jumps out at you just as you begin to lay sight on this magnificent piece of land. The Buranese people have an age old tradition of painting their houses in extremely bright colors that gives the Island a very unique look and feel. The colors used for the houses seem to have been inspired by the local fishing boats that were purposely given bright colors so as to stand out at sea. Blues, pinks, greens; lavender, yellow and purple are amongst the colors that you will be able to see on the houses in Burano. For a person who comes from a red brick land or a concrete grey town Burano offers something totally unique with its wide range of colors. The colorful houses are situated in close proximity giving the island a sense of coziness without making it feel clustered.
Burano looks more like a set for a Walt Disney movie rather than a real life city. The traditional occupation of the people of the city is fishing as Burano is an island surrounded by water. Another prominent industry is that of lace making which has gained international recognition over the years. Hence visitors often find it hard to resist from buying table linens, doilies and dresses that have been hand crafted in Burano. They even have a lace museum known as the Muso del Merletto which is situated inside of a lace making school. Although small in size the museum displays a wonderful variety of historic as well as contemporary lace designs. You may even get to see some Old Italian ladies at work with their needles in the museum.
The other side of Burano
Another interesting element especially for the Roman Catholics is the trip to the monastery island del Deserto. This is a place to enjoy solitude as the nine Franciscan monks love to welcome visitors during the day. You can reach the island while traveling for twenty minutes on a row boat. Of course you won’t be required to row your own boat because the gondolier will do it for you. Reaching Burano is easy through Venice as there are a number of boat services that will be able to take you there. The Lagoon North from the Fonamenta Nove or the Faro stop will take you straight to the island in a matter of a little more than half an hour.
