Venice lagoon islands to visit

The main Venice lagoon islands to visit are Murano, Burano and Torcello. But before you visit them, make sure you have completed the basic Venetian program. Still, island excursions should be after a couple of days in the city itself and definitely not together with Venice on a one-day excursion.

Venice tips. How to get to Venice, Venice museums
Venice San Marco, Doge palace, Basilica of Saint Mark
Venice Grand Canal, around the city, regatta
Lido di Jesolo beach, map and what to do
Around Venice and Lido di Jesolo. Map of attractions
Around Venice. Villa Pisani and other Brenta Villas
What to see in Padua
Euganean Hills. What to visit
Arqua Petrarca

Venice lagoon islands

From afar, all the islands look like a squat strip of trees, and only when you are very close, they take shape.

The Giudecca Canal separates the main part of Venice from the island of the same name Isola della Guidecca and the San Giorgio island. These two islands are for those who have already seen everything in Venice after Murano and Burano.

Most often, tourists visit the island of Murano

Murano Island

The first settlers on the islands were the inhabitants of the mainland, who fled from the Huns and Lombards. Until the 12th century the Murano island retained its independence, later subject to Venice, but had its own laws.

In 1292, glass-blowing production from Venice was transferred here in order not to start fires in the city. This art reached its peak in the 15th century. The secret of production was strictly guarded, but glassblowers also had significant privileges. After the 17th century, Murano glass fell out of fashion and was revived in the 19th century with the development of tourism. Now it suffers further due to competition from cheap Chinese manufacturers.

Museum of glassblowing art (Museo Del Vetro) is located in the palace Palazzo Giustiniani (built in 17th century).

In the 18th century the island was built up with villas of wealthy patricians. Therefore, it looks like a smaller copy of Venice: palaces are lower, there are fewer canals (only eight on seven islands).

Interesting churches:

cathedral of st. Peter 16th century
Church of Santa Maria and Donato, 11th c.

Burano Island

Settlements on the island of Burano were founded in the 5th-6th centuries, mainly fishermen live here.

The island gained fame thanks to its lacemakers. The island has a lace museum (Museo del Merletto). Real Buran lace is expensive.

Burano is easy to recognize by its bright little houses. This is a very small group of islands – only about 700 by 500 meters. The four islands are separated by three channels.

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Torcello island

Once Torcello was a trading center, one of the very first settlements of the lagoon and had self-government. But after the malaria epidemic, it fell into disrepair and remains there.

Noteworthy are its churches:

octagonal church with five porticos of Santa Fosca from the 11th century
Cathedral of the 7th-12th centuries Santa Maria Assunta with mosaics of the 12th-13th centuries in the Ravenna mosaics style

San Michele

Finally, from the visited islands, we still have the cemetery of Venice – the island of San Michele. It may interest those who want to visit the graves of famous people.

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