We escaped from Murano without buying any glass, and waited for the vaporetto to Burano. That’s the island where the lace-manufacturing industry has its centre … and we didn’t buy any lace, either. But, we do have a Venetian lace table cloth at home, which is brought out on high days and holidays.
Lace aside, even if you didn’t like Venice itself, you’ll probably like Burano. The minute we landed, there was something different about the place. It took a few minutes before I realised what it was. I imagined somebody who lived on the main island visiting:
‘Papa! What is that green stuff on the ground?’
‘It’s called grass, Luigi!’
Burano is much quieter than the main island. There are canals, but nothing like as busy. And, most of the houses are painted in bright colours, rather than the peeling stucco revealing ancient brickwork that I’ve come to associate with Venice. In fact, it looks more like the Netherlands than Italy!
The Dutch comparison is heightened even more by the means of transport. Bicycles! The only wheeled transport we saw on the other two islands were handcarts delivering goods. But, a bicycle is more practicable on Burano.
And, what bikes! Similar bikes are known in the Netherlands as an omafiets, or ‘granny bike’; my Grandma used to ride a similar one in the 1920s, when she was a District Nurse!
Which left me with an unanswered question. Were they lovingly passed from father to son, and mother to daughter? Or, are they modern bikes, built in a retro style?
Travelrat's Travels 
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