Burano island

The island of colour: many artists have used art to express the beauty of Burano, even founding a local school shortly before World War I.

The colourful palette of the single and two-story homes, the soft and rarefied atmosphere of the island landscape with its unique, clear light, reflections, bobbing boats and the boatyards make Burano seem quite different from any other island. There is no showy architecture, but homes nearly all the same size, all painted in bright colours. Here, colour is a great collective decoration, perhaps traditionally entrusted to the women of the island since the men were mainly involved in fishing and boating. The traditional trades are still pursued today, namely lace making and fishing.Legend has it that the tradition of lace-making developed thanks to a fisherman. Having resisted the song of the mermaids in the name of his beloved who was waiting for his return to Burano, the “Queen of the Waves” gave him a crown of sea foam to adorn the head of his future bride. The envious friends of the bride, blinded by the magnificence of the veil, tried to imitate its craftsmanship, thus starting up a school of a centuries-old tradition.The island plays host to the Burano Lace Museum.