Burano and Venice

Oktay Kasman has shared some wonderful photos with us through our Facebook page.  Here, though, Oktay takes us on a journey through Venice, Torcello Island, and Burano Island. Venice we all know, but many have never heard of Burano or Torcello. 

If you haven't heard of Burano or seen photos of it, then you are about to discover a world of color. A place where every cottage is a different hue and where each and every color mixes and dances in the reflection off the canals.

Besides the beautiful colors of the houses, Burano is famous for its lace, and nearly everybody ends up buying some—even if you have never loved lace, a visit here will change your mind. They even have a lace museum!

One suggestion: if you are visiting Burano and you'd prefer to do a tour, take the one that includes a stop in Murano, which is famous for its glass (view article here), and a visit to the island of Torcello.

Torcello is the oldest inhabited spot on the Venetian Lagoon, and the 7th-century Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta is at the top of the list of things to do. Few people know that Torcello was once much bigger and more important than Venice. In fact, it was one of the first major settlements in the Venetian Lagoon. Torcello became a thriving center of trade and had a population of around 20,000 people—far more than Venice at the time. It was a key stop for merchants traveling between the Adriatic and Byzantine worlds.

However, as the lagoon silted up and malaria spread, people abandoned Torcello for Venice, which had deeper waters and better trade opportunities. Today, only a handful of people live on Torcello, but its Byzantine-era Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, with stunning mosaics, is a reminder of its grand past.

All three are easily visited in a day, and if you need a tour that encompasses all three, then try this excellent one.

Now all that is left to do is begin exploring...

Burano

Venice

Torcello