Burano

Venedig · Italy · Urban site

The queen of the sirens struck the boat with her tail and the foam set into a bridal veil. The island's women have been copying it ever since.

The brightly painted island in the northern lagoon has an origin legend that explains its most famous craft. A young fisherman from Burano was engaged to a girl on the island. Out at sea he met the song of the sirens and resisted it — an Odysseus without a mast — because he loved his betrothed. The queen of the sirens saw his faithfulness, struck the planking of his boat with her tail and raised from the water a white foam that set into a bridal veil. On the wedding day he gave the girl the veil. The other women of the island could not bear the envy and tried to reproduce the pattern with needle and thread. From those attempts, the legend says, Burano lace was born, and the painted houses still stand around the lace museum on Piazza Galuppi.

FAQ

Where is Burano located?

Burano is in Venedig, Italy.

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