MURANO, BURANO AND TORCELLO – VENICE’S ISLANDS
TOUR

Ten minutes far from here, there is also the accessible “Church of San Pietro Martire” (accessible from the lateral side), where it is possible to admire paintings from the famous “Tintoretto, Giovanni Bellini and Paolo Veronese”.

However, what gives fame to Murano all around the world is, undoubtedly, its glass production and nowadays this activity represents Murano’s main economical source. This practice, hailing from the Middle East (mainly from Egypt and Syria), arrived in Venice following the trade routes of the latest, and it is said that this tradition dates back from the X century, when a man wrote a letter defining himself as a “glass craftsman”. Wandering across the streets of Murano, you can bump into several workshops where it is possible to witness the creation of glass objects directly from the raw material,. Murano hosts the accessible Murano Glass Museum (which is not included in the tour), which was founded in 1861 and includes more than 4000 items, between Phoenician artifacts, goblets, mirrors and kaleidoscope lenses.

Burano is an accessible island located in the north of Murano and has about 3000 inhabitants. The name Burano comes from Porta Boreana, which is the name of one of the six doors that enclosed the old city of Altino (the city that the first inhabitants of the Venice lagoon were forced to leave due to the barbarian invasions). Two different features mark Burano: lace and painted houses. With the aim to hand down the tradition as well as help the economy of the island, “in 1872 the first lace school” was founded which today hosts the accessible Lace Museum (not included in the tour), founded in 1981. When visiting Burano it is likely probable to find across the city small shops where old women show visitors how to make lace products.

According to many international magazines, Burano is in the top 10 most colorful places in the world. In fact, its houses are painted with intense colors and an old legend says that seamen used these colors to identify their houses when fishing in the lagoon. Tourists can admire these colorful houses from a panoramic spot called Tre Ponti

“Torcello” is an island of decadent charm, one of the most enchanting in the “Venetian archipelago”. Despite decades of plundering and semi-abandonment, “Torcello” today offers its visitors breathtaking scenery and enchanting corners. One of the island’s oldest buildings is the “Basilica of Torcello”, dedicated to “Santa Maria dell’Assunta”. Founded in 639, it is a marvelous Venetian-Byzantine building with a three-nave plan.

“The Church of Santa Fosca” is also worth a visit. Dating back to the year 1000, it is the result of the cult of the saints Fosca and Maura, which became established on the island around the 11th century. Also near the two mentioned churches is another of Torcello’s symbols, the famous Attila’s Throne.

Join us in the Venice islands tour!