islands Archivi - Hotel Bucintoro

Burano island Venice arises on four islands of the lagoon and it is connected through a bridge to Mazzorbo island. The tradition tells that Burano island was founded, as the surroundings, by the citizens of the roman town Altino, who took refuge in the lagoon to escape to the barbaric invasions, particularly from Attila the Hun and the Longobards.

Burano, one of a kind.

The first houses were built on pile dwelling with walls made of canes and mud and just since the year 1000 they were built with bricks. Burano was an island with a nice and healthy weather and thanks to the wind it kept malaria disease far of it. Through the centuries, some families of this island moved to Ancona due to work. Over there they built a small community called Buraneli. You can still hear today this through the dialect spoken in Ancona.

The houses in Burano island have an intense color so the boatmen could find their home with the fog.

The center of Burano island Venice is the Baldassare Galuppi square, the only square of the island, titled to the famous composer of the 18th century. You can find San Martino church, the only one in the island. Its belltower is famous due to its slope. This happen because, as most of the sights of Venice, the basements were built on pile dwellings. Inside the church we can find the Crucifixion by Tiepolo (1725). One of the most caractheristic spot of the island is the intersections between 2 canals, where rises the three bridges. They connect three districts of Burano: San Mauro, San Martino sinistro and Via Giudecca.

The heart of Burano, Baldassarre Galuppi square.

Burano island Venice is known for the handmade production of laces and for its intense color of the houses, but we are still not sure of the origin of this. The theory says that every colour should be the symbol of a specific family, as in Burano you can find few last names. Another theory says that the intense color was used by boatmen to distinguish their houses with the fog, that is very thick in this island. During the Kingdom of Italy, if someone wanted to change the colour of his own house, he has to ask for permission to the administration. Something typical of Burano is the bussolà, a biscuit made of eggs, flour and butter and with a shape of “S“.

Burano is famous for the handmade production of laces and its intense color of the houses.

Ask to the reception for your excursion to Burano!

Divided in 9 small islands and crossed by a canal, Murano island is the venetian island famous for its glass blowing: this old tradition, still alive, has been pursued by generations of Murano island residents. Amuranium, its old name, was given by the refugees of Altino, that left their place due to the barbaric invasions, in memory of a door of their town.

Murano island Venice.

Many visitors , from all over the world, comes to Murano island everyday to visit the glass shops and the artistic creations of the master glassmakers. The secrets of this job were traditionally passed from father to son and protected by the most important families. People ,that were not registered to this Art, were fined if caught.

From father to son, the secrets of this magnificent Art.

The florishing glass industry, practiced in Murano since the Middle Age, and the econimic power coming from this, gave to Murano a sort of indipendence compared to the other islands of Venice. In 1921 the Duke Tiepolo declared Murano a true industrial area. It became then the capital of glass production.

Murano is also called the island “of fires” due to the several furnaces that were moved from Venice in the past in order to limit the risks of fires in the town.

At Palazzo Giustiniani, once venue of the bishops of Torcello, the glass museum disposes of a rich collection of objects and decorated glasses made from XV century to our days, testimonies of the change thorugh the years of style and technics of a tradition that made this island rich and famous. Close to the museum, the Basilica dei Santi Maria e Donato, represents an exemple of venetian-byzantine style: very interesting are the decorations of the apse and the mosaics of the floor that date back to the year of the construction (1140). Only one bizantine mosaic remains from the original decorations. Above the door of the baptistery you can admire a painting of L.Bastiani (1484).

The Basilica dei Santi Maria e Donato in Murano.

The island is easily reachable by public transportation, from Piazzale Roma or Fondamenta Nove.

Ask to the reception more information for your excursion to Murano!

HOTEL BUCINTORO SRL