"If you read a lot, nothing is as great as you've imagined, Venice is......Venice is better"--Fran Lebowitz
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Day 13
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Venice and the Lagoon |
Burano
Burano was such a charming place. The sun came out just as we docked bringing the vibrant colors of the homes and shops to life. We strolled the main street, did a little window shopping and bought a very small piece of authentic lace. It was such a picture postcard little town with bright cheerful views at every turn. And even on a Sunday the cafes were open and the shops were selling their famous handmade lace and Bussola Buranello cookies.
Did you know? The Bussola Buranello cookies, unique to Burano, pack well and keep for a long period of time, so the fishermen's wives would bake them in large batches for their husbands to take to sea. The name means "compass of Burano". The packaged cookies are sometimes put in dresser drawers to keep the clothing in this fishing village smelling sweet.
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Murano
This morning we took a half day boat excursion to Murano, Burano, and Torcello. We wanted to see what else was out in the Venetian Lagoon. It was a little foggy in the morning lending an eerie glow to the calm lagoon. As we left Venice we cruised past the boat yards and cargo depots. We saw the yabbo yachts of the obviously rich and famous. We passed a few interesting boaters navigating their way through the lagoon on all sorts of aquatic conveyances. We were eventually delivered to the glass making mecca of Murano. We were funneled off the boat and into the Fornace Venier factory for a demonstration of their glass blowing techniques and then guided into their shop displaying fantastic glass in all colors, shapes, and sizes. The proprietor tried to convince David and I that the $18,000.00 turtle we were admiring was a good buy. I think we'd rather go on a few more Rick Steves trips instead.
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Torcello
We really enjoyed Torcello. It was so calm, quiet, and peaceful. Just what we needed after a day of crowds, long lines, and crazy tourists (like us). The walk from the dock to Santa Maria Assunta was lovely. Everything was so green and lush. It was relatively commercial free with only a few small shops and cafes. It's hard to imagine that this sleepy island with a current population of 11, was once home to an estimated 10,000 residents and the most populated island in the Venetian lagoon.
Along the Way:
The topsy-turvy Campanile of San Martino in Burano. Yes it's leaning, and no, they don't seem concerned. |
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Back in Venice
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We returned to Venice around lunchtime and began our self guided city walk. It was really more of a meander than a walk, since we had no direction or goal in mind. We did find the Rialto Bridge and the Academia Bridge & Gallery. We ran across an antiques flea market which we were tempted to explore, but resisted, and moved on. We discovered some of the quiet back streets and small hidden piazzas. We perused a few intriguing Carnival mask shops and grabbed lunch at a tiny pizzeria. Venice was made for meandering. And since we were
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winging it and had no agenda what so ever, we fired up the Sling Box and watched the San Diego Chargers take on the Buffalo Bills. Isn't technology wonderful (sometimes). The game was on at 10:00 AM in San Diego and for us here in Venice it ended just as the music began in St. Mark's Square. Perfect timing. We strolled the square, drifting from one orchestra to another, basking in the glow of another great Italian dinner, great wine, and the thorough thrashing of the Bills.
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In Hindsight: I wish we had selected a cafe on St. Mark's Square and stayed put for awhile. I can't think of a more pleasant way to end a day of sightseeing.
