We took pity on our poor feet today and after almost a week of walking all over Venice, we went island hopping.
Laguna Veneza is packed with literally hundreds of islands, large and small. North of Venice and accessible by water bus are the tourist drawing islands of San Michele, the cemetery island, Murano, Burano and Torcello , along with a myriad of other sparsely populated islets.
We decided to start with the outer-most island, Torcello which boasts the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta, its bell tower, and a museum full of locally found artefacts. We climbed to the top of the Campanile first, as we were advised by the lady selling tickets, the bells , three of them, would peal at noon and the sound would be “very strong”! We gladly took her advice, not wanting to be deafened. The view from the Campanile was wonderful, the 360 degree view of the Laguna astounding.
Added bonus – were the only two people up there, a rare treat as usually we are surrounded by noisy tourists galore.
Back at ground level we went to see the inside of the 7th century Basilica with its Byzantine era floor and wall mosaics. Above the altar the Madonna and Child with with gold mosaics. No photos were allowed, so we have no pics to share. The museum was a typically small affair which displayed locally found Byzantine relics and although they were very old, lacked the WOW factor and were not of too much interest. We are getting very spoiled with all this history surrounding us, and it’s getting more and more difficult to impress us.
A very short ferry ride later we were in Burano, the home of Venetian lace. The island features wonderfully colourful houses, painted in all shades of the rainbow, and was (probably still is) a fishing village.
Shop upon shop boasted a never ending array of all manner of lace items, from doilies and table cloths to blouses and dresses, all of them claiming to be genuinely Burano made. But our Lonely Planet guide warned us in no uncertain terms that genuine Burano lace is VERY expensive, so we steered clear of the touristy “genuine lace” that costs 5 Euros.
What was of interest to me (Pete at this stage rolled his eyes and went in search of a bottle of water) was the lace making demonstration. An old “Nonna” was sitting in the corner of the shop, actually sewing the lace, with her magnifying specs perched on the end of her nose. The process is extremely complex and each piece takes a long time to complete. The process needs the input of several lace makers, each with their own area of expertise so that after one has finished the “base” layer, she passes it on to the next lady who continues with added embellishments. I could have spent hours just watching the tiny stitches being made. Sigh …. I’m coming, Pete!

We returned to the boat, for our return voyage to Venice. A quick stop at the Co-Op for supplies for dinner (Pete’s cooking tonight), and home to rest, and blog.
We’re off to register for the orienteering events tomorrow, which entails a trip by water bus to the Lido, and then a ride on an actual proper bus with actual proper tyres, on an actual proper road.! We’ve forgotten about road traffic. It’s so nice not having to look out for speeding motor bikes and cars for a change. Dodging tourists isn’t too difficult if you have sharp elbows and determination.
Ciao. Ilze