Burano: The Island of Lace

Walking Tours of Venice

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Burano is often called the isola dei merletti (island of lace) and, according to a rather charming tale, the origins of its lace-making may be traced back to an ancient encounter between a fisherman and a siren.

The story goes that one day, long, long ago, a soon-to-be-wedded Buranello (the name given to a man from Burano) was out fishing in the open sea when he ran into a siren. The siren tried to lure the fisherman onto the rocks with her singing, but he resisted the seductive sound of her voice. 

The queen of the sirens was so impressed with his strength of character that she decided to reward him. She whipped her tail back and forth to create a flurry of foam, which she transformed into a wedding veil for the good fisherman's bride-to-be. The veil made the bride look so beautiful that she aroused the envy of all the ladies of Burano, who busily set about trying to replicate it with needle and thread.

And the rest, as they say, is history!