A brighter side of Venice

We slept in a bit on our second day in Venice, since we were so tired from the day before. We woke up to a lovely breakfast of Parma ham, yoghurt, cheese and pastries, with home-made cappuccino's. It was so delicious, I definitely love Italian breakfasts.

Alessandro (the owner of our B&B) advised us to leave Venice for the day, and go out to explore some of the smaller islands surrounding Venice. Apparently Sunday is one of the busiest days of the week in Venice, full of tourists. As soon as we left the B&B, we were just surrounded by people. There was some sort of orienteering competition going on, so as well as the masses of tourists, there were huge groups of people sprinting through the streets with maps and compasses.

We decided to visit Burano and Torcello, both of which are approximately 40 minutes from Venice by boat. It's so funny travelling by waterbus in Venice, there are marked lanes, so it's just like on a road. The trip out to the islands is so interesting, there are so many tiny islands with just one or two old derelict houses or churches.

We arrived at Burano first, and hopped straight onto a smaller boat which took us out to Torcello, which is only about 3 minutes away.

Torcello was one of the first islands to be populated by people after the fall of the Roman Empire, and once held the biggest population in the Venetian Republic.

These days it's almost deserted, with a population of around 20 people. Most people left when the swamps took over the island, moving to Burano, Murano and Venice.

The biggest attraction on the island is the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, which was founded in 639, and it filled with mosaics, including The Last Judgement. Unfortunately you can't take photos inside. Next to the Cathedral is the Church of Santa Fosca and a huge Campanile, which was closed for renovation, and covered in scaffolding.

Church of Santa Fosca

Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta

Bradley sitting on Attila's Throne

The island is very small, and we easily walked around in about an hour before we decided to stop for lunch. There were 3 restaurants on the island, so we just stopped at the one that looked the nicest and had some spaghetti and calamari to refresh us before heading back over to Burano.

Ponte del Diavolo (The Devil's Bridge)

You can immediately see how different Burano is to Torcello, or actually anywhere in Venice, as soon as you arrive.

Burano is much larger than Torcello, and has a population of about 3,000 people. It is famous for its lacemaking, which began in the 16th century, and also for its extremely bright houses. The colours of the houses actually follow a specific system. If someone wants to paint their house a certain colour, they have to apply to the government, who will then let them know what colours are allowed for their street. The town is so colourful, it's just amazing seeing all the brightly coloured houses bordering the canals.

It's hard to tell from this photo, but the Church of San Martino, below, has an extremely tilted Campanile. Looking at it straight on, it rivals the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Church of San Martino

We wandered around Burano for a few hours, just looking at all the bright colours, and browsing through all the stores. I bought a necklace made of Murano glass, and also two Venetian masks (one of which I promptly dropped off the desk in our room so had to find a replacement the next day...)

We then headed towards the ferry back to Venice, which we were hoping had cleared out since that morning. I think most people visit Venice for the weekend, and leave Sunday afternoons.

Quick ferry stop at Murano on the way back to Venice. Murano is famous for its stunning glass produced on the island, and sold in Venice and exported all around the world. In addition to the Murano glass necklace I bought while we were on Burano, we also picked up a few wine stoppers. There were lots of fake imitations, but Murano glass is so well made, it's easy to pick the real stuff when you've seen a few stores!

A couple of tiny islands on the way back to Venice

We arrived back in Venice at dusk, which is my favorite time of day. Everything was just washed in an amazing pink light, and it just made Venice look beautiful and romantic :)

Isola di San Michele - the island of San Michele. This island is home to Venice's cemetery

We wandered through the back streets of Venice from Fondamenta Nuove to Piazza san Marco to watch the sunset down the by the Venice waterfront. It was nice to visit Piazza san Marco when it was empty, and we could appreciate the beauty of St Marks Basilica and the Doges Palace with the sunsetting behind them.

Some examples of stunning Murano glass. That turtle was €10,000 euros.

Watching the sunset overlooking Santa Maria della Salute and the gondolas

We moved into our new room at our B&B when we got back. It was on the top floor, and quieter than the other room. Plus it had a huge jacuzzi tub, which I got in right away. My legs were sore after all that walking!