WHAT WE REMEMBER MOST FONDLY FROM OUR first time in Venice is the day we spent on the islands of Murano and Burano. We reprised the visit today and enjoyed it just as much.
Murano glass from the source
You can buy Murano glass all over Italy, especially in the Venetian shops, but the best pieces are found at the source. Fearing devastating fires the powers that be’d exiled the glass-blowers and their furnaces across the lagoon where they still ply their trade. We skipped the glass-blowing exhibitions this time and just wandered around, peeking in stores and marveling at the myriad designs.
From mending nets to making lace
The island of Burano was a sleepy fishing village and would be still if it weren’t for the tourists. Today it is better known for Burano lace. The story has it that the women, tired of watching their hubbies mend nets, tried their hand at the craft and a cottage industry of lace makers evolved. There are still a few grandmas and great-grandmas dressed in black squinting over their work but most of what you see today must come from elsewhere — there just aren’t enough old ladies left.
The old ways (and old ladies) are dying out
The real draw, at least for me, isn’t lace but the brightly painted houses reflecting in the canals. They are even more colorful today that when we last visited, a Crayola box full of hues. This is what Venice itself must have looked like in her heyday.
Primary colors
