The Rainbow Island Near Venice That Looks Too Beautiful to be Real
Just 40 minutes from the crowds of Venice lies a tiny island where every single house is painted a different colour, and the charming reason why has made it one of Italy’s most photographed spots.
Just a short boat ride from the tourist crush of Venice sits an island so vividly colourful it looks almost too perfect to be real.
Welcome to Burano, where row after row of little houses are painted in every shade imaginable, from hot pink to deep blue to sunshine yellow, their reflections shimmering in the surrounding canals.
For travellers desperate to escape the crowds of Venice, it is the perfect antidote. Sitting around five miles north of the city in the Venetian lagoon, Burano is reached by a scenic 40-minute vaporetto, or water bus ride. And while Venice can feel grand and a little melancholy, Burano is pure joy, and far less crowded, a postcard of contrasting colours, flower boxed and shuttered windows.
Why are the houses so colourful?
This is the detail that makes visitors fall in love. According to local legend, Burano’s fishermen painted their homes in bright, distinct colours so they could pick out their own house through the thick fog that often rolls across the lagoon as they returned from the sea.
The tradition has been carefully preserved ever since. The houses are repainted every couple of years, and even today you cannot simply choose your own colour. Residents must apply to the local council, which tells them which shades they are allowed to use to keep the rainbow effect intact, and no neighbouring homes are ever the same.
What to see and do
Despite its size, Burano packs in plenty. The island’s most famous landmark is the leaning bell tower of the Church of San Martino, which tilts noticeably to one side after it was heightened in the 18th century, and is often the first thing you spot as your boat approaches.
Burano has been a fishing island for centuries, but it is just as famous for lace. Islanders have hand-made delicate Burano lace since the 16th century, a craft so prized that the island once exported it around the world. You can still watch artisans at work and visit the island’s Lace Museum on the main square, Piazza Galuppi.
It is a small place, home to only a few thousand people and easily explored on foot in a couple of hours. Wander the quiet back canals away from the Main Street, browse the lace shops, and stop for a coffee with a plate of bussolà, the ring-shaped vanilla and lemon biscuits the island is known for. Photographers should head for the “Casa di Bepi”, the most riotously colourful house on the island, and the waterside views back towards the lagoon.
The secret behind those streets
Part of Burano’s magic is that its buildings have stood for centuries, weathering salt, wind and lagoon damp, and still look spectacular, a reminder of how beautifully traditional masonry and brick streets can age, something we are increasinly rediscovering closer to home.
Luke Clarke, spokesperson for reclaimed brick experts The Reclaimed Brick Company said: “Places like Burano show exactly why we are so drawn to colourful, characterful streets built from solid, traditional materials. Brick and masonry weather beautifully, develop real character over time and last for generations, which is why they still look stunning centuries later.”
How to visit
Burano is an easy and rewarding day trip from Venice. Take vaporetto line 12 from the Fondamente Nove stop, a journey of around 40 minutes across the lagoon. Go early in the morning or late in the afternoon to see the island at its quietest and most magical, when the light on those famous houses is at its best and the day-trippers have thinned out. As locals will tell you, it is one of the most photographed places in all of Italy, and once you see it, you will understand exactly.