BREATHING BURANO

We are in Burano, a tiny island in the lagoon of Venice, a half-hour journey from the main island… or a little longer if you’re rowing peacefully in the lagoon. 2,600 inhabitants, a lot of fishing boats, a burst of colorful houses. “Here, where Venice was born before being named Venice, Burano’s 1599^th year – which is to say 2020 – has been unique” our friend Silvia witnesses in her story.

The news of what was happening came from afar, and here on our little island they seemed even further away. The inhabitants of this generation, for the first time in forever, got to experience something unexpected… the island all to themselves. We have grown up sharing everything with “the others”; from space on the water buses or the busy streets, to smiles and squabbles. We have never been alone.  Never. Never before. Instead, 2020 gave us 365 days of Burano all to ourselves.  Such a blessing.  Such solitude.  Such a strange, indescribable emotion.

Burano is a very famous island. It was already famous thanks to the early Impressionists and the infinite patience of the lacemakers who began to create lace for the princesses of the world. It has only become more so since the 1960s, when the inhabitants came up with the crazy idea of using the brightest colors of the rainbow to paint the façades of their small houses, first plastered with lightly shaded lime.

Burano today is famous for its quiet and cheerful air, almost an escape from the babel of the historic center.  Photographed billions of times, everywhere from Instagram to magazines, this year Burano showed itself, to those lucky enough to experience it, like the Venus of Botticelli, naked, beautiful, timidly aware of the value of her soul, proud, dancing on the water.  Stripped of the dress of haste and futility, the island showed itself for what it really is, true, authentic, slow, with its beautiful and ugly sides. But beauty and ugliness are relative, and if for traders and those who have seen their health touched, this was the worst period of recent years, for artists, for nature, for those who have nothing to lose. This forced break was perhaps like a deep breath. A moment out of time, when everything is frozen and can be admired like never before.  In spite of everything, as the world went crazy outside, Burano was in a bubble of colors, sunsets, placid water.

For me, this year almost felt as if it never existed.  But how can I say so? It is true that I could not do my job, something that I love more than anything, and I was scared. I have dreamed a lot, I have prayed a lot, I was waiting for this moment to end.  But it is also true that I was able to enjoy the lagoon.  It revealed itself to me, as did Burano, which made me gaze at it through the trines of its lace. I also learned how to make lace this year. I have celebrated every new booking, and I have planned and prepared ideas for rebirth.

Here in Burano we are ready to welcome you again, so come to dress yourself in new colors and breathe Burano with your full lungs. You can experience a different world, and an island that has been able to remain itself through every storm. I am going to show it to you through my eyes, the eyes of a Buranella!”

If Silvia’s love for Burano has seduced you too, do not wait any longer – book a tour with her to explore the most colorful spot in the world. Click on the names below for details:

• Burano walking tour
• Burano walking tour + excursion to S. Francesco Island