On the Venice Lagoon

01 Dec 2011

The beauty of Venice is not only limited to the world’s most famous water-bound city – more enchantment remains to be discovered in the charming islands nearby. By LUCIANO DI GREGORIO with additional reporting by GILLIAN PRICE.

Having seen Venice’s great landmarks and tourist hot spots, my quest this time around is to seek out quieter spots on the vast watery lagoon that surrounds the famed city. Someone suggests a trip to the charming island village of Burano for its unique colourful houses, fishing tradition and fine lacemaking. A side trip to nearby Mazzorbo is also recommended, to witness glass-blowing and sample its fine wines. Then there is the quiet rural island of Torcello, believed to be one of the oldest inhabited islands in the region. As cars are uncommon here, we choose to spend the day exploring the area via a leisurely waterbus trip.

On Venice’s iconic Rialto bridge, I notice the reflection of a thousand-year-old palazzo broken by the shimmering water as a gondolier rows his charming wooden boat along the city's main waterway, the Grand Canal. It’s my third time in Venice: I fell in love with the ancient city floating at the top corner of the Adriatic Sea two years ago and quickly returned to explore every nook and cranny. It is a city that begs superlatives: the ostentatiously adorned facades of ancient churches; that charming moment when a gondola is navigated under a tiny, low bridge; the enigmatic nature of Venetian masks hanging on the walls of bars and cafes are all synonymous with the unrivalled beauty of the city. This time, having donned my adventurous spirit and vagabond shoes, I have come back to explore the less visited corners of the Venice Lagoon, in search of a different Venetian experience removed from the clamour of the travelling masses.

Stepping off the bridge and onto the broad pedestrian thoroughfare of Ruga dei Oresi, I decide to consult Antonietta, my Venetian oracle, who never fails to astound me with her knowledge of the city. She is the owner of a small cafe – a petite, middle-aged local who sports all the sophistication and flamboyance of her idol, Italian actress Sophia Loren. I met Antonietta in a sun-drenched street market when she recruited my help to carry bags stuffed with radicchio, the Italian vegetable red chicory, to her nearby apartment before offering me coffee from her own brew.

As an Italian, albeit from Rome, I am reluctant to confess to her my lack of knowledge of the small islands that surround Venice. However, she is full of enthusiasm when it comes to her corner of the world – or sea, as she would say – so I tell her of my quest and stand aside as she sets the wheels in motion for an unforgettable tour of the islands in the Venice Lagoon.

“The islands,” she exclaims, wagging her finger centimetres from my face. “You must start with Burano.” I smile at the conviction with which she tells me that Burano and its colourful corridors will steal my heart.

Burano

Burano's colourful buildings are the island's trademark and add to its whimsical charm.

The following morning, I am met by Vasco, Antonietta’s son. As we board a vaporetto (one of the public water buses that run around Venice) for the approximately 40-minute ride to Burano, his animated conversation glows with a passion for Venice that matches his mother’s. Well before we reach our destination, I see the flat island of Burano rise ever so gently out of the still waters of the lagoon. The village-island has been inhabited for well over 1,500 years, and is currently home to around 3,500 souls who live a quiet life.

Mere minutes after docking, I am in awe of the sheer vibrancy of the colourfully painted buildings, which yet lend the streets and canals a serene quality. Shades of cyan and hues of peach and pink create a rainbow effect and I while away a morning – half a day is all it takes to cover tiny Burano on foot. The island exudes the snugness of a cosy pullover, a feeling perpetuated by the small and bright ancient houses jostling for space along its narrow alleys. They say that the bright colours were used to help the fishermen find their way home. Life moves at an unhurried and measured pace in Burano, and the locals make no apologies for it.

Not far off the waterfront, peeking gently out from behind a red building, is the island’s Church of San Martino, famed for its leaning bell tower, the Venetian “Tower of Pisa”. Like Venice, Burano’s ancient foundations are feeling the effects of hundreds of years of shifting sediment resulting in sinking and subsidence, hence the incline of this particular landmark. Minutes later, standing in front of the simple facade of the church, Burano’s most famous, I ponder its lack of ostentatious decor as Vasco proclaims that the people of Burano do not need the showy exteriors of Venice buildings. He claims the locals are an uncomplicated bunch, as friendly and warm as they are dedicated to their tiny island, and just about as colourful as the laneways and canals.