Burano

Burano's houses are painted in strong contrasting colours, a practice usually explained as helping fishermen find their own house in lagoon fog; today the colour of a house is not a free choice, and owners apply to the authorities, who specify which shades are permitted for that building. The island's lace, needle-made rather than bobbin, was famous across Europe from the sixteenth century, and the most complex work was divided among specialists, each woman trained in a single stitch, so no one person made a whole piece. The trade nearly died and a school was founded in 1872 to revive it; a museum holds the collection.

What you actually see

• The painted houses - colours applied under a permit system.
• The lace museum - needle lace and the school founded in 1872.
• The leaning campanile - a visibly tilted bell tower on the main square.
• The canals - working boat channels through a small fishing island.

When to go

April to October; day-trip boats arrive mid-morning and leave late afternoon, so early or late visits are quieter. Winter fog is atmospheric but services thin.

Honest expectations

Much lace sold on the island is imported and machine-made; genuine handmade work is rare and expensive. The island fills with day trippers in the middle of the day.

Nearby

Torcello is a short boat ride; Murano lies toward Venice.