Italy

Italy, on so many levels, is a beautiful, romantic and historically filled country that, to explain it all, well…it would be a daunting task at best. I would be remiss, though, if I didn’t try to bait your travel hook with some tasty tidbits and see if I can’t entice you to visit. Let’s go!

There are series of islands within the area of Venice, Italy. Two of the more infamous islands, Murano and Burano, are what we’ll discuss today. Both islands are beautiful, let’s get that straight. I will go out on a limb and say that I like both of them, equally, better than Venice. But for selfish reasons I mention this little factoid. First, I would say, possibly in November or December, you might find a tolerable degree of tourism. Or even in January. Since we like to travel during the Autumnal months, we went and there were lots of tourists around. I’ll talk more about that later, when I bring-up Rome.

Venice was packed with people, why? Well, because it’s Venice, with its tight fitting canals, gondola rides and the other main attractions, it can be romantic in the right circumstances. Murano and Burano are the roads less traveled in this case.

If you are creative, artistic or are good at making beautifully crafted items, then you must see these two islands.

Murano is best known for its Murano Glass. Words can almost, NOT, explain the talent and craftsmanship that goes into each piece of glass. You can tour the place where they blow and mold the glass. We got lucky, as we most always do, and toured while they were blowing different pieces and it was explained, in part, as to the process in shape making, etc. They have a showroom that you can go through, a rather large and at the end of the technical tour, and marvel at the hundreds, upper hundreds, of pieces, varying in size from minute to bigger than any living person. The cost, depending on the piece, ranges from reasonable to thousands of dollars. This Murano Glass is known world-wide and is centuries old. We bought a piece and it was expertly shipped to us and looked just as it did in the showroom. The photo to the left and its glass sculpture is one example of the type of glass sculptures they put together on the island of Murano. It’s a short water taxi ride from Venice and can provide a welcome reprieve from tourist overload in there…depending, of course, on the time of year you go.

Also, on the island of Murano, is the Basilica de Santa Maria e San Donato. I must preface this part of our journey by saying that, one of the negative things about leaving at early times to get to places before they get crowded, is that it doesn’t always work. In this case, the Basilica you see to the left was not open. The disappointment meter was a bit high. I researched this particular place and there are beautiful mosaics from top to bottom as well as other artifacts representing Saint Donato. But the things I most wanted to see, as legend has it, are 3-4 rib bones, located behind the alter, that are said to be approximately a meter long and belong to a dragon, once again according to legend, that Saint Doran slayed somewhere in Greece. Well, the would’ve been cool to see…and photograph, but the Basilica was not open, nor did it open while we were on Murano. Still, a lovely and old Basilica that was awesome to photograph. If you go, learn from my mistakes, research the hours and days in which it is possible to go inside.

This photo is of one the main waterways through Murano island. The boat in the foreground most closely resembles the water taxi that we jumped on to get to the island. Water taxis are the ONLY way you’ll get from island to island and from the mainland to Venice. Price-wise, they’re not too bad. We stayed in Venice and adventured out from there. I will discuss Venice at the end of our journey to Italy. Murano is a must see, as well as the gallery of Murano Glass!

Burano, for me, was a bit better than Murano. I am a photographer first and a tourist second. As soon as my feet hit the ground, wherever we are, I start looking at everything…and framing everything that I look at. I compose and execute my shots before my camera gets near my face. After I had my quota of non-stop shooting, I get into tourist mode. I delve into the history, etc. Burano is a smaller island compared to Murano. But, it holds some of the most colorful structures that you’ll find in Italy. It is also known for lace products. Anything you can apply lace to, from doilies to clothing to tablecloths, and much more, they sew their lace products with centuries-old, intricate designs and methods. Lots of lace shops to shop in and, if you’re lucky, there will be a shop or two that have women either in the front window, or somewhere in the shop, that you can watch stitch some product together. Some pieces, and they can be small, are so intricate and precise in their design that they can take weeks to months to put together. Depending on what they might be putting together, you can watch them in their processes, give it a good ten minutes, and you’ll not know how to explain what it was they were doing. Oh, and it’s ALL hand sewn. No machines, I said that everything you will see on Burano is hand sewn. Go and see for yourselves…it’s awesome and fascinating!!

To the left, another example of the color you’ll find on Burano. It’s like this pretty much throughout the entire island. Don’t get me wrong, we spent a couple hours, maybe 3 at the most, which included stopping for lunch, on Burano and saw everything that needed seeing. Along with Murano island, Burano is a great reprieve from the hoards of tourists that flock to Venice. Even fewer go to Burano because, to break it down in the simplest of terms, the island is about lace and colorful buildings. A few places to get some food, great food, mind you, but that’s it. Oh, the usual type tourist shops are there as well, just not as many as other places. During the Summer months, I’m sure this little island gets packed in pretty quick. And most likely stays that way until it’s closing time and the last water taxi can get you back to where you came from. I would avoid Italy, during the Summer months, as you will be beside yourself with all the tourists that will be there with you. If you’re able to plan a trip there during anytime of year that is, a) not a calendar type of holiday and, b) not the summer, or any break from schooling, then you should be fine. Oh, it’s a popular tourist destination to be sure, but it’s more tolerable in off seasons and non-holiday times.

To reaffirm with a photograph, to the left, while we were on Burano island in the Autumn you can see just how few folks ventured out to this island. It was awesome. The color, as a photographer, was hard to beat and I could’ve been on Burano for a couple of days and not shot everything the way I would’ve wanted. But those buildings in front of a blue sky were too much to pass up. People in photos is not something I go out of my way to include, but, they can give you perspective in many ways. So, off in the distance, I captured some folks to give perspective. Murano and Burano are two islands I think you would enjoy escaping to if you plan a trip/stay in Venice. In my estimation, 3 days is perfect to not only explore Venice, but Murano and Burano as well. The latter two you can do in a day trip. Venice is bigger and, without much assistance, you can get lost in. Lots of waterways leading you to and fro and you can get lost, although temporarily, you can get a long way off your mark. Maps of Venice I highly recommend. The reason I have not lent any photos in my description of Venice is because I came down with a head cold that laid me up for an entire day and a half. My wife had to explore without me and that sucked! That was half our stay in Venice and the amount of photos I missed makes me sad. And, although I don’t like to go negative, there are things that must be said about Venice. Firstly, it is sinking. Yes, you heard me…sinking. Water levels are rising and actually flooding buildings. They try their best to help remedy things by putting band-aids on geysers, but the inevitable will happen. Second, it smells, at times bad, of sewage. You can imagine an island, and trying to get waste off the island, via toilets and the like, without any issues. Well, there are issues and you can smell them. Lastly, go there knowing that if you want one of the gondola rides you see photos of in magazines, or have heard about from others, the ones were the gondola paddler sings a romantic love song, in Italian, you two are sipping champagne and falling more deeply in love…realize that all of that will cost you TOP dollar. My wife and I only saw one instance where two people were being serenaded and drinking champagne while being aquatically carted around the canals of Venice. All others…no singing, no booze. Venice is, without a doubt, a beautifully old city that has waterways for streets. Water taxis/buses are the only means of getting to other islands or back to the mainland. Even getting to one side of Venice from the other can lay wear and tear to your feet, so take a water taxi/bus and get there another way. Go, go and see and do. I only tell you of those three items to give you an expectation, and it is by no means to be meant as a deterrent, of what you may encounter.

Well hopefully you have enjoyed this first part of our journey into Italy. Next week, I will talk about another colorful part of Italy that lies on the West Coast. It’s definitely worth the wait! Until then, be and travel well!