I See The World Through Multi Colored Glasses

Location: Murano & Burano 
Weather: 20C, sunny
Steps: 12,052

May 1, 2019

Near the city of Venice, lies two small islands: Burano & Murano.  Wanting to explore something new and hopefully away from the maddening crowds, I hopped on a vaporetto and sailed towards the island of Murano.  OK, technically, it’s is a series of islands linked by bridges in the Venetian Lagoon.

Murano has an international reputation for glass making, ever since 1291 when all the glass makers on Venice were forced to relocate to the islands.  Why you ask?  As most of the structures in Venice were wooden, the fear and risk of fire was deemed greater than the burden of relocating.  Even today, glass making is Murano’s main industry, not to mention a popular tourist attraction!

An orchestra of glass

This island was quieter, and locals could be seen going about their day.  A perfect place to stroll (you can easily get from one end of the island to another in 20 or so minutes), shop and stop for lunch.   Don’t mind if I do!

If you’re not in the mood to shop for glassware, there’s not a whole lot left to do in Murano.  So it was off to the next stop: Burano.  Hoping to be the only one willing to make the 1hr vaporetto trek, I was soon sorely disappointed and found myself packed in like a sardine (a standing one no less) amidst a throng of tourists.  Does this boat have enough life vests I wonder?  However, within 20m of stepping off the boat, I realized my aching feet wear worth the pain. I was in a technicolor painting!

Every single house was painted in brightly colored hues. Every.  Single.  One.  Some were fresh, others faded. All had character and charm.  The colors are even mandated by the local government: if a home owner wishes to paint her house, she must write to the government who will consult a list of approved colors for that lot.  Talk about Big Brother!

Although established by the Romans in the 6th century, it wasnt until 10 centuries later that the island made its mark.  All thanks to women.  Women with really pointy needles.  Lace making as a trade took off and was exported all over Europe. The tradition continues today, although few partake in the traditional methods, as they are costly and time-consuming.

However, one does not really come to Burano for lace…. You go for the explosion of c!olors!! The ‘gram was made for this….

While I am glad to have visited elegant Venice, Burano was more my style: loud, vibrant and in your face!

My time  in Venice has come to end.  One last moment to enjoy the view before I go….