Burano and the lace
Venice, beautiful and proud, historic and elegant. Rich and powerful Venice. Its power is emphasized in every corner, in every field and street. But in terms of colour, elegance cannot be different from the typical colours of the finest stones and marbles. The white stairs, some red marble, which has lightened quite a bit over the centuries. The gold colour of some mosaic tiles, or some reds, but which are lost in the dominant austerity of the light shades. Once in Burano, on the other hand, there is a real jolt and simply a 32-tooth smile. Colour, colour, colour. This seems to scream Burano as he welcomes you to his Island. Four islets that, like in Venice and Murano, joined by expert bridges create the colourful, lively, but still traditional Burano. From Yellow to Fuchsia, from Fire Red to Aqua Green, the colours glow with life and energy in this islet, which really gives a charge and a unique energy to all those who visit Burano, the most colourful place in Italy. This colourful tradition also gives rise to stories bordering on the myth that captivate, entertain and give an extra meaning to the visit to Burano. There are three different stories about why in Burano one day it was decided to paint the houses like this. The first would see as the main cause, the typical dense fog in the lagoon, or the fumes of alcohol, which would make it impossible for fishermen or sailors to dock at the right home. Here then is the solution of the much more visible coloured paints to improve visibility. The second would see the association of a family name with a given colour, given the presence on the island of a few, but well-known surnames, to avoid confusion and to overcome the usual use of nicknames.
The third story would see the main part of the legend the buranelle, or rather the women of Burano, who, while their husbands were away for work, also had to think about the external maintenance of the houses, which, when exposed to the humidity of the lagoon, easily deteriorated. Hence the use of paint anytime different from those already in use on the island, and in this way the houses began to take on more and more different colours, to the point of making this strangeness a normality. How beautiful it is to do it in Venice, even and above all on a small island like Burano it is mandatory to try: to get lost. It helps to get to know streets and alleys that deviate from the centre or from the classic tourist walk and makes you discover new horizons, or it makes you come across monuments or sculptures of the various great artists who live on this colourful island such as Baldassare Galuppi, Pino Donaggio and Remigio Barbaro. Arriving in the main square of Burano, Piazza Galuppi, there are shops where you can admire the elderly ladies working the traditional and authentic Burano lace, an ancient yarn processing technique with which a light and precious fabric is obtained, which Burano arrives at an absolute quality. Also to justify the birth of this authentic heritage of Buranello, the tradition draws from the legend according to which a fisherman betrothed managed to resist the temptations of the sirens, and that to reward him, the queen of the Sirens gave him a wedding veil made of lace. The veil was so beautiful that after the wedding, all the Buranelle women began to try to imitate the so beautiful workmanship of the veil, starting to create fantastic lace. In the main square, in addition to the shops, there is the Lace Museum, which develops in the spaces of the historic Burano Lace School. The school, which is an elegant Gothic-style building, was founded in 1872 precisely to revive the tradition of lace. Even today, unlike many years, especially in a world that seems to go at different speeds and towards distant goals, the bond of these islands to traditions so ancient but always genuine and authentic, leads us to rethink in depth the dynamics of modern life and the need for possible alternatives. Such an exciting tour, when it ends, like all good things, can bring a little sadness. After having lived in full, so many exciting beauties, there is no better remedy in the world than drowning melancholy with something sweet. We are in the right place, and we have arrived at the last stop of this extraordinary journey built between history, beauty and grandeur. We turn into a small call in Burano and find a pastry shop that puts their main product in front of our eyes… the bussolà of Burano. There is nothing better to do, than to order it, and put it in your mouth, and captivated by its typical taste, finish in style, with the last sweet emotion.