Burano

A fishing island forty minutes further out, where every house is painted a flat, saturated colour. The usual explanation is that fishermen wanted to pick out their own house through the lagoon fog; whatever started it, the colours are now regulated, and repainting means applying to the council for the shade.

It is also a lacemaking island, though the hand-made lace is now rare and expensive and most of what is sold is not from here.

What it costs

Free. Again, the fare is the cost, and Burano is far enough out that the round trip eats most of a day pass on its own.

Genuine Burano lace is made by a handful of women, takes months, and is priced accordingly. The lace museum on the square shows what the real thing looks like, which is the cheapest way to avoid paying for the other kind.

When to go

Early or late. Burano is small and the middle of the day is a queue for the same photograph on the same bridge.

⚠️ Check the last boat before you settle in for dinner. The service thins considerably in the evening and out of season, and there is no other way off.

Getting there

Line 12 from Fondamente Nove, about forty-five minutes, usually via Murano. Going Murano then Burano then Torcello in one loop is the sensible order and the boats are timed for it.

If you only have an hour

Walk away from the main street. Two turnings back the colours are the same and the crowd is gone, and there are still nets drying and boats being repaired.

Look at the campanile of San Martino, which leans visibly — more than Pisa’s, on a much smaller tower.

What people get wrong

Doing Burano as a quick add-on. It is ninety minutes of boat there and back before you have looked at anything.