Colors and Old Laces

A colorful island and its lace, that is Burano. An island near Venice and as famous and visited.

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There is such an explosion of colors that one cannot walk without stopping to take a picture of a particular angle, the reflections on the canals, or a selfie against a favorite colored wall.

Legend has it that the houses are so colored because the fishermen needed to find their way home on dark nights; or their way home after one too many drinks.

In reality the colors define property. As the house stand in close proximity, they are colored to define “what’s mine and what’s the neighbor”

Colors however where not always that bright, they were more “pastel” like, moreover palettes such as fucsia, or some violets, did not exist in the past. It was with the arrival in the market of acrylic colors that it was possible to obtain those shade and that brilliance.

Burano also had a tradition of lace making. The history of the lace of the small island of Burano is lost in the mists of time and is linked to conjectures or legends. For some, the typical buranella processing would be connected to the seafaring tradition of the inhabitants of the small island, linked to fishing and consequently to the manufacture and repair of the nets on site.

Famous customers of the Burano lace were several members of the Tudor family, Caterina de ‘Medici, Bianca Cappello and several others. It was once again Caterina de Medici that brought the embroidery art to France.

it is worth visiting the Lace Museum (Museo del Merletto), in Burano.The ladies sitting in front of the house busy with embroidering are a thing of the past.

Occasionally one or two are given a seat in a prominent shop where they show their art to the tourists.