Burano is a pretty island in the northern part of the lagoon of Venice, Italy with a current population of about 2,800 inhabitants. It consists of four individual islands, which are separated by narrow, 10 meters wide, canals, rio Pontinello in the west, rio Zuecca in the south and rio Terranova in the east. Burano is famous for lace-making and for its brightly-colored fishermen’s houses; the island is a photographer’s paradise.

The brightly-painted walls extend all through the island and not just the principal tourist canals. The colors of the houses follow a specific system originally coming from the golden age of its development; if someone wishes to paint their home, he must send a request to the government, who will accordingly respond allowing only the specific paint colors permitted for that lot of the island. Guidebooks suggest the painting began with the fishermen’s desire to identify their own houses from the lagoon, which seems sweet but not particularly likely. 

Burano certainly seems to an outsider like a cheerful place to live or visit. Open doors and laundry hanging outside on lines to dry, all add to the impression of a friendly and tight-knit community.