Burano is an

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

in the

Venetian Lagoon The Venetian Lagoon (; ) is an enclosed bay of the Adriatic Sea, in northern Italy, in which the city of Venice is situated. Its name in the Italian and Venetian languages, ' (cognate of Latin ' ), has provided the English name for an enclosed, ...

northern Italy Northern Italy (, , ) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. The Italian National Institute of Statistics defines the region as encompassing the four Northwest Italy, northwestern Regions of Italy, regions of Piedmo ...

, near

Torcello Torcello (; ) is a sparsely populated island at the northern end of the Venetian Lagoon, in north-eastern Italy. It was first settled in 452 AD and has been referred to as the parent island from which Venice was populated. It was a town with ...

at the northern end of the lagoon, known for its lace work and brightly coloured homes. The primary economy is tourism.

Geography

Burano is from Venice, a 45-minute trip from St. Mark's Square by vaporetto, a Venetian water bus. The island is linked to Mazzorbo by a bridge. The current population of Burano is about 2,800. Originally, there were five islands and a fourth canal that was filled to become ''via e piazza Baldassare Galuppi'', joining the former islands of ''San Martino Destra'' and ''San Martino Sinistra''. Burano has historically been subdivided into five sestieri, much like Venice. They correspond to the five original islands. The sixth sestiere is neighboring Mazzorbo: Burano has a high population density, calculated at more than 13,000 per square kilometer, or more than twenty times the density of neighboring Mazzorbo. It is almost entirely covered by residential buildings, with few small green areas.

History

The island was probably settled by the Romans, and in the 6th century was occupied by people from Altino, who named it for one of the gates of their former city. Two stories are attributed to how the city obtained its name. One is that it was initially founded by the Buriana family, and another is that the first settlers of Burano came from the small island of Buranello, about to the south. Although the island soon became a thriving settlement, it was administered from Torcello and had none of the privileges of that island or of Murano. It rose in importance only in the 16th century, when women on the island began making

lace Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is split into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...

with needles, being introduced to such a trade via Venetian-ruled

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

. When

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...

visited in 1481, he visited the small town of

Pano Lefkara Pano Lefkara () is a village on the island of Cyprus famous for its lace, known as lefkaritika in (Greek: λευκαρίτικα) and silver handicrafts. The village takes its name from the white of its silica and limestone: Lefkara is derived fro ...

and purchased a cloth for the main altar of the

Duomo di Milano Milan Cathedral ( ; ), or Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint Mary (), is the cathedral church of Milan, Lombardy, Italy. Dedicated to the Nativity of St. Mary (), it is the seat of the Archbishop of Milan, currently Archbi ...

. The lace was soon exported across Europe, but trade began to decline in the 18th century and the industry did not revive until 1872, when a school of lacemaking was opened. Lacemaking on the island boomed again, but few now make lace in the traditional manner as it is extremely time-consuming and therefore expensive. Burano has been home to great artists such as the composer Baldassare Galuppi who was born in 1706, the singer-songwriter Pino Donaggio who was born in 1941 and the sculptor Remigio Barbaro who was born in 1911.

Main sights

Burano is also known for its small, brightly painted houses, which are popular with artists. The colours of the houses follow a specific system, originating from the golden age of its development. If someone wishes to paint their home, one must send a request to the government, who will respond by making notice of the certain colours permitted for that lot. The island is considered among the ten most colorful places in the world. The heart of the village is Piazza Baldassare Galuppi which is the only square in the village. The Lace Museum, Town Hall, a well made entirely out of Istrian stone and the statue of Baldassare Galuppi made by Remigio Barbaro can also be found in the square. Other attractions include the church of '' San Martino'', with a leaning

campanile A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

and a painting by Giambattista Tiepolo (''Crucifixion'', 1727), the ''Oratorio di Santa Barbara'' and the ''Museum and School of Lacemaking''.

Transport

The island forms part of the Actv waterbus network. The following lines connect to Burano:
9 (Burano-

)
12 ( Fondamente Nove- Murano-Burano- Treporti- Punta Sabbioni)
14 ( S.Zaccaria- Lido SME- Punta Sabbioni-Burano)
A night service also operates.

Gallery

File:Rio Giudecca in Burano.jpg, Rio della Giudecca File:Burano, fondamenta di terranova 02.jpg, Rio di Terranova File:Rio Pontinello in Burano.jpg, Rio del Pontinello File:0 Burano, Fondamenta di Cao Moleca, Rio San Mauro et Fondamenta Cavanella (1).jpg, Nearly all buildings are painted in rich colors File:"Luce che viene e luce che va".jpg, View on a canal at dawn

References

External links

* {{authority control Islands of the Venetian Lagoon Frazioni of the Metropolitan City of Venice Geography of Venice 20th-century establishments in Venice Former municipalities of Veneto