Finding Happiness on the Island of Burano

If you’re ever in need of cheering up, head to the island of Burano, located northeast of Venice. We arrived by boat, after an hour-long ride through the Venetian lagoon. From my very first glimpse of Burano, I thought of it as “the happy island.” It doesn’t have the art, the history, or the architecture of Venice, but it’s so picturesque, so bright, and so colorful, that it’s guaranteed to lift your spirits. I even forgive it for being a bit touristy. 

 

Burano is just one of the many small islands in the Venetian lagoon. The earliest inhabitants of the islands were members of an Indo-European tribe called the Veneti. Originally, they lived on the mainland surrounding the lagoon where they fished and eventually became rich through trade. In the 3^rd century BCE, they became allied politically with the Romans and eventually adopted the Latin language and Roman culture. When the Huns, led by Attila, were invading the Roman Empire during the 5^th century CE, the Veneti living in the ancient town of Altino fled their homes and settled on Burano. In order to build houses, they brought tree trunks from the foothills of the Dolomite Alps (125 miles from Venice). Because the soil on the islands was so sandy, they had to drive piles into the sand to support the buildings. 

 

Fishing has always been an important economic activity on Burano. And that may explain the tradition of painting each house a vivid and distinctive color. A fisherman out in his boat could easily recognize his house from quite a distance, even during the foggy winter months. And once back on land, a fisherman who stayed out late drinking with his friends wouldn’t have any trouble identifying his home at the end of the night. Sounds reasonable, doesn’t it? Nowadays, the local government determines which colors a house can be painted. 

 

Besides fishing, the production of lace became an important source of income in the 16^th century. Today, many shops on the island still sell items made of lace although it is usually imported. Tourism has replaced fishing and lacemaking as the main industry. When you see the multi-colored houses, it’s easy to understand why.

 

 

Marco led us on a very short walking tour in order to point out the most famous house on the island. Located in a quiet small square (everything in Burano is small), the Casa Bepi is unique. Amidst all the other brightly colored houses, Bepi’s House stands out for its multi-colored geometric design. 

Afterwards, Marco introduced us to one of Burano’s local residents, a New Zealander who has made his home on the island for several decades. He spoke passionately about the problem of over-tourism in Venice. The city, whose population is 55,000, receives 20-30 million visitors a year. In peak season, over 120,000 tourists a day crowd the historical city, and they tend to concentrate in only a few spots, such as St. Mark’s Square. 

When our speaker stated that Venice derives very little economic benefit from about half the tourists, he was referring to the passengers on the enormous cruise ships. They don’t sleep in Venice, they don’t eat in Venice, they just buy a few cheap souvenirs during their whirlwind visit. The bottom line is they bring no economic benefit to the city. To make his point about the relative size of the huge cruise ships, he showed us this graphic. Funny, but not really. 

I was glad to learn that as of 2021, the largest cruise ships (those over 55 tons) can no longer enter the canals. Fortunately, OAT’s small ship (50 passengers) was well within the acceptable limits. The mega-sized ocean liners are now required to dock at the inland industrial port of Marghera on the mainland. Passengers then have a take a bus or taxi into the historical city. Of course, while this policy is beneficial in some ways, problems remain. The port is built on marshland and there’s always the risk of a cruise ship accident which could have disastrous consequences for the environment. But the ship owners are very powerful and have considerable influence over the government. 

 

Our speaker also told us about the MOSE project, which is designed to prevent Venice from flooding. Steadily rising sea levels since the late 1800s have put Venice at risk. After considering several proposals, the Italian government chose the MOSE project because it was supposed to have a minimal impact on the environment. It’s an underwater barrier system, whose 78 hinged flood gates, each weighing 300 tons, can rise out of the sea when necessary. Since it was installed in 1984, the gates have been raised fifty times. Our speaker told us that while the system is working at the present time, he’s concerned that it may not work in the future because it isn’t being properly maintained. 

The learning aspects of our visit to Burano were enjoyable, but more than anything, I appreciated having time to relax after a few hectic days in Venice. On the island, there were no important churches or historical sites that demanded my attention. I felt free to soak in the sunshine, to wander down narrow streets lined with brightly colored houses, to have a leisurely lunch, and last but not least, to shop – for clothing, lace ornaments, cookies, and more! 

On our way back to Venice, we stopped on the island of Murano so we could visit a glass blowing workshop. There is a long history of glass blowing on the island. At the Berengo studio, we watched a demonstration and visited their exhibition of contemporary glass artwork. (Photos weren’t allowed in the gallery.) 

Before we left Berengo, I browsed in the showroom and admired the gorgeous vases and bowls. They were much too big (and expensive) to consider. However, there’s always room for jewelry, and my birthday was coming up. I found a pair of earrings – silver and gold foil enclosed in clear blown glass – the perfect gift to myself. 

Whenever I think back to this day, I can’t help smiling. Despite the serious topics our speaker addressed, my main memories of Burano remain the vivid colors and the warm sunshine. And I have my special earrings as a reminder of Murano.