12 Things to Do in Burano

Located 64 kilometres from the larger Venice is the island of Burano, made up of four small islands connected by canals and bridges and covering an area of just 20 hectares. Its small size makes it really easy to explore its streets if you book a day trip from Venice, which also includes Murano and Torcello. Want to know which are the must-see places in this city?

Burano is as famous for its lace as Murano is for its glass. Although lace artisans on this island date back to ancient times, it was only in the 19th century that Burano's lace enjoyed the interest of the Italian community beyond the small island.

The history of lace in Burano evolved along with the history of the island dating back to 1872, when the talented lace maker Vincenza Memo was asked to teach the secrets of her art as a way of boosting the local economy.

In this space you can find important lace collections with hundreds of unique examples dating from different periods but mainly from between the 16th and 20th centuries. Although the school has been closed, professional training courses are organised inside the museum for all those interested in this millenary art.

Lace shops are curious spaces that exhibit a touch of the picturesque but also awe-inspiring displays of talent in this subtle art. Similar to the Lace Museum, you will witness the creation of beautiful embroidery with seemingly simple tools such as thread and needle. The most fun part of visiting the lace shops in Burano is being able to witness one of the local weavers creating the pieces in front of your eyes with impressive care.

This kind of presentation has become traditional on the island and every lace shop will have such a demonstration. Obviously, after watching the show you might be more inclined to buy.

If you finally decide to book an excursion to Murano from Venice, you won't regret it because it's totally worth walking through the narrow streets of the town to admire the colourful houses, which stand out against the blue sky in a variety of pastels and bright colours.

Burano and its colourful houses are a tourist attraction on the island along with its lace artisans, but the story behind why is more interesting than you might imagine, as the locals say the facades of the houses were all painted in different colours as a way of guiding the fishermen who worked from sunrise to sunset in the most intrepid climates through the mist. When returning home, the coloured facades make it easier to find the way back.

If you book your excursion to Burano, when you arrive on the island you should pay special attention to the beautiful house of Bepi Suà, known to everyone as Casa Bepi. Although the coloured houses on Burano were established as a matter of practicality, it was Giuseppe Toselli who gave this unique feature the tourist attraction that we know today.

Toselli, an amateur painter, decided to make his house the most colourful in Burano. Every year he painted his façade with different colours and patterns, so that it became a kind of game for visitors to go and see the new colours of Casa Bepi; this tradition continued until his death in 1985.

For two decades the colourful façade fell into neglect but since 2005 one of Toselli's vibrant fantasies was chosen to bring the façade back to life and give it back some of its lustre.

Not only on the island of Venice can you find beautiful bridges, when it comes to this type of structure Burano also has its curiosities. You can take advantage of the fact that you have booked your excursion to Burano to visit its bridges, especially the one known as Tre Ponti Bridge; whose name derives from its particular and ingenious structure. Strategically placed at the junction of three islands, the bridge connects each of them through its three staircases.

Like greater Venice, Burano is made up of small islands linked by bridges; these islands are: San Mauro, Giudecca (Venice also has a neighbourhood of the same name), San Martino Sinistra, San Martino Destra and Terranova.To get to Tre Ponti from the pier you'll have to go straight across Viale Marcello.

After touring canals, bridges and museums take some time for a tasty lunch at one of the many eateries you'll find on your wanderings around Burano. If you want some inspiration consider the following establishments...

Trattoria al Gatto Nero: Ideal for traditional Venetian food. The restaurant is open from Tuesday to Sunday for lunch and dinner and if you call ahead you can reserve a table with a view of the Grand Canal.

Trattoria da Primo: Entering this establishment you will find a huge canteen-style dining room and a beautifully decorated hull of a boat. Trattoria da Primo is a local favourite and a great place to try typical Venetian dishes such as Gó's fish risotto.

The traditional Venetian biscuits known as Bussolai originate from the small island of Burano, so on a tour of the island you should make time to try this tasty snack made from the original recipe in a much more traditional way. If you like, pair them with a glass of wine and take a few with you for later.

Made with flour, butter and eggs, they have a characteristic hole in the centre that makes them look like doughnuts. Bussolà are biscuits that are very well preserved. It is said that in times when food was scarce, fishermen's wives made the biscuits in large quantities to help the sailors endure the long days at sea.

Like the famous Pisa, Burano has its own Leaning Tower which is a must-see on a tour of the island and its beautiful architecture. More than a tower, it's actually the bell tower of the town's only church; the church was erected in honour of St. Martin in the 16th century, and the 53-metre high bell tower was built between 1703 and 1714.

The reason for the inclination of the bell tower is due to the pillars used in the base of the building, which over time began to lean to one side. By the 1970s the structure was stabilised and the threat was completely stopped; today the bell tower is quite safe and forms part of one of the many curiosities to be found on the island.

The only square on the island of Burano is called Piazza Baldassarre Galuppi. It is a large open space dominated by several important buildings: the church of San Martino Vescovo, the lace museum, the Santa Barbara Chapel and the town hall. In the middle of the square is the traditional well (as in most Venetian squares), the flagpole of San Marco and the statue of Baldassarre Galuppi himself.

It's a nice place to sit and enjoy the nice weather, take pictures of the beautiful buildings and meet the stall vendors who are always hanging around.

Crossing Tre Ponti to the island of San Martino Sinistra you will come across another important place: the Burano Fish Market. It consists of a small open-air square and is the traditional market of the island and is still used today for the exhibition of products. Its strategic location near the canal makes it the ideal space for fishermen venturing into the salt lagoon to easily arrive with fresh produce to serve the population. Along the square there are at least twenty stalls displaying fresh fish for sale.

It is important not to confuse the Fish Market with the Pescaderia Vecia, which serves the same purpose and is equally well known in and around Burano. This fish market is located on the island of Giudecca.

Located right next to the Lace Museum is Burano's town hall building; its somewhat dilapidated façade gives it a particular and charming appearance. It is one level higher than the structure of the Museum and therefore stands out slightly from it.

The old building has the typical materials of Burano buildings: the use of brick in the main structure and the use of profiles made of Istrian stone to highlight the hollows in the walls. The brickwork on the first level is in its natural state, but the following levels are still covered with plaster in a pale pink tone. The simple interplay of windows and openings on the façade is quite picturesque.

If you're a lover of food and wine, a quick stroll to the vineyards in Mazzorbo is something to consider if you're booking a trip to Burano. Known as the Venisssa Estate, it is a walled vineyard where a type of grape native to the island of Venice known as the dorona is grown. Long ago the large island of Venice was covered with this and other crops before the inhabitants of Torcello, Burano and Mazzorbo decided to start building their houses and palaces there.

From Burano getting to Mazzorbo is very simple; you just need to take the Via San Mauro bridge that connects the two islands. From the centre of Burano the walk will take you only 15 minutes.