If you’re visiting Venice, there’s a good chance you want to visit the small island of Burano. The fishing town is known for its brightly colored homes, cute wooden bridges (although an unusual description of a passageway) and lace everywhere. I’ve been to Italy a handful of times, and continue to be amazed by its history, culture, and diversity. I fell in love with photography a long time ago, and this trip made me fall in love with capturing color.

Burano was captivating. Although there is little to actually do, tranquility is one of the joys of this island. Color. Water. Community. This is a place to visit for yourself. It’s not hiking the highest point in the world, or walking through the oldest ruins of civilizations. It’s genuine peace. Okay, done being sappy. Here’s a pictorial ode to wandering through Burano!

How to get there

A quick boat ride from Venice, getting to Burano is easy but should be planned for. The trip is 40 minutes each way and costs about 15 euros round-trip. The Vaporetto or water taxi is pretty easy to navigate. Your first instinct will be to take the boat nearest to Piazza San Marco–don’t do it. This ride is much longer, if you’re yearning for an hour and a half of boat time, then this is for you. Otherwise, head to either the San Zaccaria stop or Fondament Nove, and take Vaporetto No. 12. Nice & easy.

What to do

First of all, get lost. As you get off the boat, the hoards of visitors will begin walking in one direction. Stray away from the crowds, stay behind a bit, get lost in the side streets and you’ll have the island to yourself. Here’s a fun fact about “Italy’s most colorful island.” Why is it so colorful you say? Well, here’s the legend, since Burano is a fisherman’s island the fishermen painted their homes to be able to see them from a distance while fishing!

It won’t be hard finding Burano’s attractions; the island is very small and the popular buildings stick out. Most likely, you’ll walk past a lot of these without realizing their significance. Here’s what you’ll be seeing:

Galuppi Square – Burano is tiny, and the center or square is hard to miss. You’ll see a monument dedicated to the Italian composer Baldassare Galuppi, sculpted by a local Buranello!

Istrian Stone Well– in the center of the square, you’ll find an ancient well made of Istrian stone which is really just a type of limestone quarried in Istria (the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea).

Chiesa di San Martino – or the Leaning Tower is a 53 meter tower that is literally inclined, due to the gradual sinking of the earth’s surface! It’s honestly just an interesting shot as it stands among the bright brick homes. Connected to the leaning tower is this 16^th century Roman Catholic church – the San Martino Bishop’s Church. 

Water Supply tower – this is the old brick water storage tower that was used on the island. Not much of an architectural marvel, but it stands out quite a bit.

Tre Ponti – or the three bridges. Now don’t be fooled, there really isn’t three bridges, but this wooden bridge connects three canals.

Where to eat

There are many hole in the wall restaurants in Burano, but there is one famous Michelin guide restaurant that you should check out:

Al Gatto Nero da Ruggero  – a Jamie Oliver recommended restaurant and now we know why. Al Gatto Nero was flooding with locals and visitors as soon as we walked in the door; the wait for 2 was up to 40 minutes. Call ahead if you can, & once you make it in, order everything. The crab risotto was one of the best I’ve ever had, and the delicious grilled fish and seafood samplers were an incredible bonus to a lavish meal.

Make sure to stay for sunset, the town lights up and the colors are even prettier!