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Doge's Palace, the view from our window in the morning
Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016 |
We woke up
early, determined to get an early start for more island hopping and to avoid
the four noisy Brits bashing America. We were not successful on the last part,
but we did board the vaporetto by nine a.m., bound for the famous fisherman
village called Burano, 4 miles from Venice, where houses were so colorful, it
seemed that there was a quick sale at their local paint shop on bright hues of
purple, green, pink, blue, yellow, and orange. When I asked, a local told me
that they did it to attract attention from the sea in the often foggy surroundings.
The ride took about 45 minutes on a beautiful clear and sunny morning. It was
exhilarating to stand on the deck and enjoy the wind blowing salty mist into
our faces. I felt like a child again, holding a much desired toy in my arms. I
breathed in the air, the sights and sounds surrounding the boat, painting the
indescribable greenish-blue waters of the lagoon and the island into my mind.
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The picture of the Venetian lagoon off the water bus
Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016 |
Mazzorbo is
an island in the northern Venetian lagoon with orchards and vineyards. Linked
to Mazzorbo by a bridge, the island of Burano boasts a population of 2,800
inhabitants, an astonishing population density of 13,000 per square kilometer,
more than twenty times the density of Mazzorbo. It has few green areas and is almost
entirely covered by homes, tiny shops of hand-made lace linens, tapestry, silk
scarves, souvenirs, a few restaurants, and canals with fishing boats tethered
to the canal banks.
Burano cat
Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016
A pampered
kitty was curled up in a colorful plastic tub placed on the window sill of a
tiny green home with white lace curtains. The cat was photographed by the
occasional tourist wondering on the narrow streets. Clothes lines were peeking
from alleys less traveled by tourists.
Deserted Burano early in the morning
Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016
The locals
went about the business of life, hanging out their dirty linen for the world to
see, oblivious to the tourists from distant lands, who came by many means of
transportation, to visit their famous island.
A deserted street in Burano
Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016
If locals
wish to paint their home, they must submit a request to the government; it
sounded so much like our local HOAs; the government then responds by telling
the homeowner what colors are allowed for that residence, based on a long-ago
established color scheme. I am certainly not an artist and thus I cannot see
the painting scheme, but to me, the carefully watched by design scheme looked
like a giant had decided to throw up a color pallet over the entire island.
Cloudy day in Burano
Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016
Initially
settled by the Romans, Burano was occupied by the 6th century by
people from Altino who either named it after the Burina family or after the
first settlers who came from the island of Buranello, 5 miles to the south.
The tourist area in the middle of Burano
Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016
Altinum
(Altino) was an old town in Veneto, 15 km south east of the modern day Treviso.
Destroyed by Atilla in 452, Altinum was abandoned and the inhabitants moved to
the islands of the lagoon to seek protection from terrestrial invaders. Altino
today is said to have 100 inhabitants.
On a sunny day, the colors of Burano really pop
Photo credit: Wikipedia
Leaning Tower of Burano in the morning haze
Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016
Burano vaporetto dock with sea gull
Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016
Undergarments drying in the wind on Burano
Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016
Boats are tethered to the banks on Burano
Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016
Lacemaking in a dream of beauty
Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016
The women of
Burano learned how to make lace with needles from artisans in Cyprus. Leonardo
da Vinci, who visited the town of Lefkara in Cyprus, is said to have bought a hand-made
lace cloth in 1481 for the altar of the Milanese Duomo. Lacemaking flourished
for a while, and it was on its way to die out until a school of lacemaking was
opened in 1872 on Burano.
On a typical street - the sun came out
Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016
Even today,
few actually understand the amount of work and the tedious craftsmanship
required to make one table cloth and are shocked how expensive it can be,
depending on the intricate design. The Museum and School of Lacemaking are an
eye-opener to a lost art in the rest of the world.
The Church
of Martino in Burano has its own leaning tower, although not as famous as the
Leaning Tower of Pisa, and a beautiful 1727 painting by Giambattista Tiepolo, entitled
Crucifixion.
More lace shops
Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016
Abandoned farmhouse on the way to Murano
Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016
For
tourists, life on the 100 islands of the Venetian lagoon can only be described
like an enchanted slow water ride in a medieval setting. But for Venetians, it
is a life like no other, few roads on some islands, just canals, waterways,
boats, foot bridges, water buses, water taxis, firemen boats, police boats,
garbage boats, and the ferry.
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Grand Canal in Murano
Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016 |
The richer
cousin of Burano, Murano, is another vaporetto ride away. Vic Stefanu posted an
abbreviated video of the reverse boat ride from Murano to Burano. The sights
and sounds, the wakes from boats, the archipelago’s mysterious blue color, and
the bluish/grey haze express the pictorial essence of Venice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsENPCwtsFA
Murano is
formed by seven islands linked by bridges and crossed by eight channels. With a
population of 5,000 people and a surface of 0.9 miles across, Murano is the
center of inimitable glass making.
View from a bridge in Murano
Pretty house on our way to Murano
Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016
Settled by
the Romans and later by the people of Altino and Oderzo, Murano became a
fishing port and a producer of salt and center of trade that minted its own
coins, unlike the other islands.
Murano
Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016
Monks
established the St. Michael monastery which quickly became a center of learning
and printing. Fra. Mauro, the famous cartographer and a monk at this monastery,
drew maps that were essential in the European exploration of the world. But
Napoleon’s expelled the monks from their monastery in 1814 and the grounds
became Venice’s main cemetery.
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Murano's narrow streets
Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016 |
Murano
became a center of glassmaking by necessity as they were expelled from Venice
in 1291 by the fear and danger of fires. Aventurine glass was invented on the
island. Glass beads and mirrors were at first the main creations, expanded
later into chandeliers. Pauly & C.
Compagnia Venezia Murano is the oldest glass factory that was founded in 1866
and is still operational today. There is a Murano Glass Museum in the Palazzo
Giustinian.
There are
palazzos on the island as Murano was a popular resort for Venetians in the 15th
century. The countryside had orchards and vegetable gardens until the 19th
century when housing construction expanded.
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Blue glass sculpture in Murano
Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016 |
Glassmaking
is a very serious craft. The trademark, Vetro
Artistico Murano, is filed and registered with the European Office for
Harmonization in Alicante. Being a glassmaker afforded the citizens of Murano a
special status in the Venetian Republic. They could wear swords, were immune
from prosecution by the state, their children married into prominent nobility,
but were not allowed to leave Venice. Some took risks and fled to neighboring
cities, even England and the Netherlands, to establish furnaces (vetrerias).
Murano had a
monopoly over expensive glassmaking for centuries. The types of glass they
developed included optically clear glass, enameled glass (smalto), gold
threaded glass (aventurine), multicolored glass (millefiori), milk glass
(lattimo), and imitation gemstones made from expensive glass.
Hand-painted boat in the Burano Island dock
Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016
Those who dared
leave Murano shared the secret of glassmaking and crystal with others and
Venice lost the monopoly at the end of the 16th century. But their
craftsmanship is most admired in the world and people spend a small fortune on intricate
chandeliers, mirrors that are prized works of art, beautiful vases, fluted wine
glasses, creative collectibles, and other rare objects that a collector desires.
Museo del Vetro
(glass museum), located in Palazzo Giustinian, displays artifacts through
history, including objects from Egyptian time to today. Glass making companies
like Venini, Ferro Murano, Barovier & Toso, Simone Cendese and Seguso
guarantee through their trademark that the glass objects are made on Murano
island and nowhere else.
The Church
of Santa Maria e San Donato is famous
for its 12th century Byzantine mosaic pavement and is said to hold
the bones of the dragon slain by Saint Donatus.
As lunch
neared, we settled for a restaurant overlooking the Grand Canal on Murano. Most
things were pricier to reflect the more expensive surroundings. A beautiful
opaque blue outdoor glass sculpture decorated one of the canals. Tiny shops
sold Murano jewelry, intricately made by master craftsmen in silver and
aventurine glass with threads of gold and silver which could set the prospective
buyer back around 80-100 euros.
San Michele Island cemetery
Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016
We boarded
the water bus for Fondamente Nuove as
we planned to walk from there back to Ponte Rialto. As the vaporetto chugged on
the blue waters, a peaceful and green island appeared, San Michele, dotted with
old Cyprus trees. A large bronze statue was rising from the lagoon waters,
facing the island with wide-stretched arms.
San Michele bronze statue rising out of the lagoon
Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016
San Michele
is a cemetery, paradoxically, a temporary resting place for Venetians as they
are only allowed to remain there twelve years. Where they are moved to after
twelve years, is a mystery to me. But the few wealthy and famous like Ezra
Pound and Igor Stravinsky remain there in perpetuity. Signs in the cemetery
remind some families that it is time for their loved ones earthly remains to be
moved somewhere else. The cemetery is divided by faith, Orthodox, Catholic,
Protestant, etc.
Isola di San Michele became a cemetery in 1837 when the government decided that the customary
burial under church floors, in church walls, and in crypts was not so salubrious,
was smelly, and “illegal.” In a place where flooding (Aqua Alta, high water) happens several times a year, it seems
reasonable to bury the dead away from the living.
After we
disembarked the water bus at Fondamente Nuove, it became obvious that all
funeral homes were located in the immediate area, an ideal location across the
water from the cemetery on Isola di San Michele. The photo of a 93 year old man
who had recently passed away was posted in one window. I cannot imagine living
on these islands but living for 93 years! For Venetians, it may be the highest
honor to live and die in the middle of so much history and such romantic
surroundings. But the daily life seems very complicated and tedious.
Even though
the island was serene and green, it was unsettling. Venetians are born, live,
marry, have children, die, and are buried on this island in the middle of the
sea.
TO BE CONTINUED
