Murano, Burano and Lori’s Birthday

Day 2o - Happy Birthday to Lori! What a great place to celebrate! And Dan's hearing has started to improve, which is also a birthday blessing for Lori!! Maybe by tomorrow she won't be translating at all and he will feel close to normal!!

After breakfast, we headed out for a small group tour to the islands of Murano and Burano. We met our group leader near what was once the main port of Venice.

It was a 20-minute boat ride to Murano, where we visited a glass blowing artisan at work (glass and particularly, glass blowing, is the signature ... and copyrighted... trade of Murano!

We visited the New Murano Gallery that strives to select and exhibit the most prestigious artpieces made with Murano glass. They were exquisite! Lori and Gayle managed to find some jewelry they liked, but the larger pieces of glass art were a little out of our price range! Dan and Scott were very careful not to let their backpacks swing around for fear of knocking over a masterpiece!

Unfortunately, we had a relatively short amount of time on Murano, so didn't get to visit other artisans and shops, which sounds like it would have been an amazing experience! Next time, we'll hop on a Vaporetta (the public bus/boat) and ride over so we can spend as much time there as we want!

The next stop on our tour was the picturesque island of Burano.

Burano is known first for its artisan women who have been handcrafting delicate lace for generations, since the 1500's.

Burano's other claim to fame is its picturesque and colorful homes and businesses!

The heart of the village is Piazza Baldassare Galuppi, the only square in the village.

The square overlooks the church of San Martino, with its famous bell tower, which is characterized by a noticeable tilt (like much of Venice, it is built on stilts).

After a quick tour with a lacemaker, we had 90 minutes to roam around the island.

There were so many little details to admire about the buildings and the everyday life occurring on the island.

The image below is one of Gayle's favorites. Notice the sheets in the door and windows of the cinnamon colored building on the right? This is a typical way for Italians, who aren't big fans of air conditioning, to help cool their homes, while keeping views into their house private.

Gayle also loves this image for its display of so many (but not, by far, all) of the colors of Burano.

After the tour, it was time to rest up so we have the energy for one last dinner out...and a birthday one at that!!

Then, out of the blue, we got a message from Dave and Peggy Mackey, who were also in Venice! Dave was the second (and last) Presiding Judge that Scott worked for in Yavapai County) so it was time to cut the nap time short and join them for cocktails!

What a wonderful way to spend our last night in Venice, our last night on this trip, and Lori's birthday! Celebrating with family and friends can't be beat!

We loved wrapping up our Europe trip like this! Tomorrow we have a long day of flights ahead of us.

Tours: Murano and Burano Small Group Tour by City Wonders

Step Count: 13,934 steps or 7 miles