Beyond Venice, the Venetian Lagoon and its islands, here is a journey through five of the islands near Venice that come for a visit, half day or an entire stay, find out why.
Venezia it's not just San Marco and the Rialto Bridge, there is much more; there is for example the Venetian Lagoon, a handful of islands that are part of the World Heritage Site / Unesco.
Some, like the small one, Torcello, were even more populous than Venice itself, others have disappeared (Ammiana, La Caderna, Costanziaco for example), still others have been used as control and defense points and still have signs of past history with strongholds, towers and structures now abandoned. So, if you have already been to Venice and want to see a Venice I recommend aexcursion to Burano, Murano and Torcello and you will not regret it.
Poveglia, the haunted island
For the Venetians it is the island of the barbecue on Sundays, the island that can be reached by boat and docks where you can, since there is no longer an accessible pier and since a permanent human presence is no longer expected from about the middle of the last century. For many it is the "haunted island".
It seems that there are strange and unfriendly presences on the island. But they are certainly only rumors and legends related to the history of Poveglia which over the years has been a lazaret for plague victims and a psychiatric hospital. It is even said that a hospital director, a torturer with no regard for his patients, died jumping from the bell tower instigated by the voices of his victims.
Today to access the island you must have a friend with a boat or wait for one of the parties that the association "Poveglia for everyone”Organizes for a few days every month on the island. The island, whose destiny is not clear, is in fact entrusted to the association that provides for its maintenance and safety and which would like to be able to deal with it in a more structured and programmed way to return it to the population of Venice and beyond.
Sant'Erasmo, the vegetable garden of Venice
Right in front of the Venice airport, here is the island of Sant'Erasmo, the second in size after Venice itself. Flat and wide, the island is also called "the vegetable garden of Venice"Because it supplies the city, and not only, with first fruits.
A nice way to get around the island is without a doubt rent a bicycle, for example at the B&B Lido Azzurro on the island or in Venice (but if you rent it in Venice you will have to take it on the ferry and check that it allows transport). You will be able to admire expanses of fields and canals that run through them. You will notice the fields of artichokes, or rather the "castraurine", the violet artichokes typical of Sant'Erasmo.
The best time to enjoy them? At the "Festa del purple artichoke of Sant'Erasmo" which generally takes place in May. It is an opportunity not only to taste fried artichokes, but also first and second courses based on this delight and there are those who also flavor the Sant'Erasmo artichoke beer. Artichoke-flavored beer sold out in half a day this year, so be ready to grab it as soon as you arrive at the party. To reach the Island of Sant'Erasmo you can take the vaporetto line 13 from Fondamenta Nuove. Travel time about 30 min.
Murano, the island of glass
Murano is not an island, but a set of islands connected by bridges. L'glass island is known throughout the world for its glass production which has had ups and downs over the centuries and has reached peaks of excellence especially from the 60s onwards, with the success of Italian design and with names such as Carlo Scarpa, Fulvio Bianconi, Vetreria Venini, etc.
The ovens for melting silicon sand into glass were moved and concentrated from Venice to Murano starting in the late 1200s in an attempt to reduce, if not eliminate, the risk of fires. And on the island the skill of the master glassmakers has grown, who have created compositions, shapes and processing techniques that have made it its fortune.
Traces of this glorious history remain in the Murano Glass Museum which is certainly worth a visit for the well-kept, but never pedantic set-up, and where you can admire gems such as the beautiful "Barovier Cup" named after the lineage of glass artists and curiosities like the area of ​​the "Conterie" or the "glass beads". The processing of glass beads was typically feminine and in the best of times it involved up to 5000 women who supported as many families with that work.
If you are curious about the glass blowing technique then you cannot really miss a visit to one of the glassworks who organize small demonstrations of how the glassy mass is blown and transformed into vases, glasses, small objects. They usually last 20 minutes and have a very low entry price (around € 3 per person)
How to reach Murano from Venice? From the vaporetto stop of the Santa Lucia train station or from Fondamenta Nuove, take vaporetto 4.1 or 4.2 towards the islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello. The trip to Murano takes about 30 minutes from the station and 15 minutes from Fondamenta Nuove.
Burano, the island of lace
If Murano is glass, Burano is the island of lace but above all of the lace made on the pillow, a padded cylinder on whose surface the lace makers move the threads of the lace, crossing them, making them dance with a speed that is difficult to follow and which brings them closer to the magicians for the play of fingers and hands: where before there was nothing, now there is a thin white watermark. Really a prodigy.
Today there are very few lace makers left and if you are lucky you can see some at work in the area dedicated to them at the “Lace Museum” in Piazza Galuppi in Burano. All folded on the pillow, their fingers traveling lightly and the large windows illuminate their work: an image of other times.
For photography enthusiasts Burano is a destination not to be missed also for another reason: the fishermen's houses are in all the colors of the rainbow and beyond. So a saffron yellow house is followed by a cherry red and, again, a beautiful mauve or mint green. In short, a chromotherapy session while walking. If you are greedy, you must not forget to taste the "buranelli”(Or“ bussolà ”), typical sweets with butter, eggs, flour and flavored with vanilla, rum or lemon.
It seems that once they were prepared for fishermen if they were forced to remain at sea for long without supplies. To reach Burano, you can take vaporetto 12 from Fondamenta Nuove (about 40 min). or 14 from San Marco Zaccaria (about 1 hour and 10 min). Remember to always check if the vaporetto stops in Burano because not all trips stop on the island of Burano
Torcello, the island of Attila
Torcello was once a densely populated island and a center of intense trade. Today less than 20 people live there. However, if you are looking for a destination off the beaten track, stop here.
The vaporetto will disembark you on the bare pier and you will not be able to do anything but follow the only pedestrian path between the reeds and along the canal. You will discover a wild island on which bushes, trees and wild flowers, cultivated fields and the profile of some house surrounded by vegetation spread visibly.
If you want to have a drink or a snack you will find a couple of clubs and even a B&B and a small charming inn right in the center of the island. Do not miss the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, clearly of Byzantine style with a mosaic floor and an immense "Last Judgment", and the Church of Santa Fosca nearby.
Children, but not only them, will go crazy for the "throne of Attila", a stone seat right in the center of the square that legend has it was the throne of the legendary and ferocious king of the Huns. In reality it seems to be the seat on which the judge sat when administering justice. But all the islands of the Venetian Lagoon are a source of legends and stories whose origins are lost in the mists of time.
To reach Torcello you can take line 12 from Fondamenta Nuove checking if the vaporetto stops at Torcello. Travel time about 45 min. To check and plan your trips between the islands of the lagoon, you can consult the website www.actv.it, the official website of the Venice transport company or check the Venice Transfers.
Those looking for something different, perhaps more characteristic and not just touristy, can refer to Free tour of the mysteries and legends of Venice. An incredible itinerary of story and mystery that will surprise you.
