Burano, The treasure in the middle of a Rainbow

There is a tiny little crack in my glass window and when the morning rays stream through the crack its spills on the floor a plethora of colours. My cherub screams a rainbow and I catalyse her excitement by saying look for the treasure my love! That little white light has so many colours and so many emotions.

BURANO

Only today that little girl is me, as I step out of Vaporetto onto the dock of Burano I am struck by not its colours but its various shades. A tranquil blue dock, lush green grasslands and always moving aqua green channels, delicateness of the embroidered white lace, colour contrasted drying laundry and of course the picture postcard houses painted in all the colours of the spectrum. A sigh of bewilderment at its canvas. Burano is an island in the Northern Venetian Lagoon, 11 Km northeastern far from Murano and Venice.

PAINTED HOUSES

The tiny lane from the dock meander around the corner into the canal lined houses. Each house is a square-shaped and has a unique colour painted all over it as it delimits the property. The folklore goes as they were painted bright colours to guide the fisherman to their village. For me it’s like a photographers paradise and you could easily go overboard clicking all its shades and still fall short of counting colours. But one important thing to note is that it’s still a cohesive community of residents so respect their privacy.

Apparently, the house colours comes from the days of its inception and if a house owner needs to change the colour of the house you must write a letter to the council and they reply back to you with a limited range of colours. Why because most of the shades have already been painted. Gosh, colour colour which colour do you choose? 🙂

The writer inside me weaves its own story, whether the yellow houses a cheerio personality while the pink a beautiful damsel. The green a prosperor and the blue a dreamer. A figment of my imagination of a tourist while life continues inside with its usual mundane nuisances.

It is a very small archipelago of four islands connected by wooden bridges and you would find me at the same point in an hours time after a quick stroll around the island.

LAUNDRY

Coming from a country where laundry is a hidden secret, I am pleasantly surprised by the way Burano boasts of its laundry. The waft of freshly washed clothes strike you the moment you enter the narrow alleys. The laundry palate is equally intriguing almost colour coordinated with the colour of the house and paying a tribute to its birthplace. Blimey! fuchsia knickers.

LACE

After walking the shores when you reach the town square Galuppi Square,which has the Town hall and the Museo del Merletto or the museum of lace. Burano is famous for its needle lace and is also a major contributor to its economy with its lace exports. Lace making dates back to the 14 th century and elderly women have mastered the art. You will find a clutter of lace stores at the town square and also in the narrow alleys.Personally, I am always cautious about buying things while travelling. Always use your discretion before any purchase.

FOOD

Burano is famous for its sea food I would say much better than Venice. There are many trattoria,pizzerias,gelato and cafes located in and around Burano. There are also couple of local pastry shops where they sell the famous Burano cookie. I had read trip advisor before opting for the place to eat. I chose Trattoria da Primo e Paolo owing to its non-touristy nature. The place has the old tavern style kitchen. We ordered the mixed seafood fritter platter (highly recommended) and crab spaghetti. The homemade panna cotta with fresh raspberry sauce is absolutely delicious. The place is expensive but the food is worth it. Special note to the butler Paul who served us and entertained us with his stories. The walls are adorned with Burano’s sports achievements on the world map.

TRAVEL

We had visited the Murano glass factory earlier in the day. From Murano we went to Fondamente Nove vaporetto stop and from there we took a Line 12 which goes to first to Murano ( Faro ), after that line 12 continues to island Mazzorbo, after Mazzorbo it goes to Burano.

To end my trip I would like with a quote written on the signboard of the yellow house 

“Color is like music — it uses a shorter way to get to our senses, to awaken our emotions.”