For a romantic getaway or a weekend of total immersion in authentic beauty, Venice is the ideal destination. With its streets and bridges over the water, its eighteenth-century Palaces and the carnival masks that color the city all year round, the Serenissima has the power to conquer every traveler. But like any self-respecting queen, its beauty extends all around her: Murano, Burano and Torcello, each with its own peculiarities, are considered her jewel-islands.
Did you know that just 300 meters from our historic Hotel Antica Corte Marchesini, immersed in an oasis of peace and tranquility, is the train connection that will allow you to reach Venice? From there you can immerse yourself in the surroundings of the city and learn about its beautiful gems.
Let’s find out together why Murano, Burano and Torcello are absolutely worth a visit!
Murano and its long tradition of blown glass
Famous all over the world for its colorful glass, Murano is one of the most populous centers of the Venetian Lagoon. The seven islands that compose it are divided by canals and little canals and the bridges that connect them to each other create a characteristic landscape to be admired on the water or with a relaxing walk.
The tradition that binds it to blown glass dates back to 1291 – even if according to some ancient findings the industry had been rooted in the island for some time – when it was decreed that the glassworks of Venice were moved to Murano because the furnaces of the workshops often caused disastrous fires.
At the time, the glass masters were obliged to live on the island and could not leave Venice without a special permit in order to protect a noble art from those who instead wanted to bring it abroad.
Today, however, the glass objects made in the furnaces and exhibited in the numerous Murano workshops are sold all over the world. Strolling through its characteristic low and colorful houses, we recommend that you stop in one of its splendid workshops to see closely how this fragile and wonderful material comes to life and transforms itself into a thousand different objects.
The Glass Museum also deserves to be seen: you will have the opportunity to admire extraordinary masterpieces of glass art from 300 to 900 and learn more about a very long tradition and the techniques that for so long have been the heritage of a few skilled glassmakers.
In addition to the Museum, we suggest you visit the three churches of Murano that remained after Napoleon Bonaparte landed on the island, destroying fifteen of them:
- Basilica dei Santi Maria e Donato with the characteristic mosaic floor that shows the same texture as that of the Basilica of San Marco;
- Santa Maria Degli Angeli where you can admire a bell tower from the mid-sixteenth century;
- San Pietro Martire where many of the works of the other Churches are kept, stored here to save them from Napoleon’s raid.
Finally, the last detail that makes Murano so unique is the lighthouse which, since the Middle Ages, has had the task of illuminating the lagoon. It is a construction in Istrian marble which, thanks to a particular game of mirrors, represents an important guide for boats returning at night.
Burano, the lace and its picturesque colored houses
Anyone who lands in Burano first of all notices that detail that makes it unique: color. In this happy island you can breathe peace, serenity and the craftsmanship of a partly lost time. Walking through the streets and squares you cannot help but smile seeing the old ladies who embroider the original Buranello lace with their bobbin lace.
On the island there is also the Lace Museum, inside a Gothic Palace adjacent to the Palazzo del Podestà. You will find rare and precious specimens on display that offer a complete overview of the historical and artistic events of Venetian and lagoon lace from its origin to the present day.
As in Murano you can see who works the glass, in Burano you will have the opportunity to observe the master lacemakers at work while following a tradition that has been handed down for generations.
Among the evocative places to visit on the island, the Church of San Martino Vescovo certainly earns a place, internally in Lombard-Baroque style with neoclassical pillars and Corinthian-style capitals, and the adjacent Chapel of Santa Barbara.
Suggestive are also the statues of Remigio Barbaro, including “Waiting for Peace”: known as the “Hermit Sculptor” or “The Professor”, his art is a combination of nature and spirituality and the memory of his personality and professionalism still echo in the streets of Burano.
In this island of a thousand colors, perfect to be explored on foot, you will see those small details that make it so special and picturesque, such as the Istrian stone well dating back to the 16th century, a crooked bell tower with a very marked slope, the craft shops and the Pescarìa Vecia where you can share breathtaking sunsets over the Venice Lagoon with those you love.
Torcello, between ancient legends and atmospheres of other times
It takes 5 minutes by ferry to move from Burano to Torcello, an island that will surprise you with its old-time atmosphere. Between colonial houses and a landscape in the late Roman Empire style, you can stroll and see the characteristic elements of the third island of the Venice Lagoon.
Do you know the legend of the Devil’s Bridge? It is said that it was built in one night by the devil himself to win a bet; a curious story that also features a witch, a young Austrian and a Venetian girl…
Torcello is also linked to the past by the town square, still entirely in beaten earth and gravel and a marble throne, probably owned by the Bishop of Torcello or by some tribune on the island. To these elements are added the Palazzo del Consiglio, in gothic style which, together with the Palazzo dell’Archivio, constitutes the Museum of Torcello: here you can admire the countless archaeological finds found on the island belonging to the late Latin, Byzantine and medieval eras.
To close the list of the beauties of the island we suggest you visit the awesome Basilica of Torcello with the places that for centuries remained inaccessible: the crypt and the sacristy.
This place steeped in history and memories is the third of the gems of the Venice Lagoon, three different treasures that will charm you with their peculiarities and innate beauty.
The tour of the Islands of Venice among colors, traditions and tales of the past
Have you ever visited Murano, Burano and Torcello? These are the three jewels of Venice that surprise and conquer for their intense colors, traditions that have been handed down for generations and ancient stones intertwined with legends of the past.
From our exclusive Hotel Antica Corte Marchesini you can take a boat tour among the most beautiful islands of the Serenissima. For the occasion, we have created a two-day package for you. What awaits you?
- 2 nights stay in a Standard double room
- Buffet breakfast with genuine and local products
- A dinner with full menu for 2 people in our Restaurant “Ai Quattro Archi”
- Free parking and wi-fi
- Boat tour with a visit to the Islands of Burano, Murano and Torcello
Our relaxing and suggestive atmosphere awaits you: choose the Hotel Antica Corte Marchesini for your escape to the Islands of Venice!
