The Island of Burano - Italy

VENICE - PART THREE

 

A BOUQUET OF RICHLY- HUED HOUSES

 



 

Photography  & Text  by C. Whitney-Ward

 

THIS IS THE FIRST HOUSE that you see when you step off the boat at the tiny island of BURANO, Italy - a delightful 45 minute ferry ride north from Venice along the Venetian Lagoon. There are several stories about why all the houses in this charming fishing/lace-making village are painted the colors of persimmons, raspberries, key limes and cotton candy. According to the wonderful book Secret Venice,  the rainbow-colored houses first appeared in the Middle Ages to designate which houses were spared from the plague. Another suggests that the bright colors  served as a beacon for  fisherman returning home when the lagoon was shrouded in fog.

 

Regardless, Burano is delightful and a wonderful half-day outing. You can stroll along the narrow streets, take a thousand photographs, nip into a few of the lace shops, and then find a table along one of the  canals to take a leisurely lunch.

 

 

 

 

 

And, if any of the 2,800 residents  want to re-paint their house, they need special permission. Only designated colors are allowed. 

 

 

 

 



 

Front doors are protected from the sun by brightly colored curtains, and vibrant shutters and awnings abound.

 



 

 



 



 

Flower boxes  and washing hang below windows adding  even more

 charm to this diminutive island.

 

 

 

Burano consists of four individual islands all connected by canals (and bridges) where beautiful old (and new) fishing boats are moored.

 

 

 

 

 

 And then there are the reflections - beautiful water  mirrors  shimmering with surreal shadows of  the painterly houses just above. Click on the video below...

 

 

Next...VENICE - TO MARKET TO MARKET

 

 

 

CLICK BELOW TO GO TO CHASING SANTA FE

 

www.chasingsantafe.blogspot.com



 

Meandering - Venice

 S    W    E    E    P    I    N    G         B    E    A    U    T   Y

 

 

VENICE IS 360-DEGREES OF LOVELINESS.  When you stand on the Rialto Bridge and take in the sweep of palaces, hotels, cathedrals, and exquisite buildings on either side of the Grand Canal, you feel that you are looking out onto  a stage set for the most beautiful play in the world. Indeed, Venice is full of visual theatre.  Each day is an adventure, whether you're gliding along the Grand Canal in a gondola; wandering wide-eyed through St. Marks Square, or getting lost in a charming tangle of narrow streets.

 And, let's not forget THE BRIDGES. There are 409 of them crossing 117 small islands and 150 channels, each  revealing a tiny vista - vibrant and  full of life. 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

And when the sun is just right and you look down, a surreal painting appears.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look up and see laundry hanging like flags against ancient walls...

 

 

 

 

 

 

and, balconies and ornate, shuttered windows lined up like elegant soldiers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And after crossing one of these diminutive bridges you never know what you'll discover on the other side...

 

                                       Cozy plazas..

Un-Venice-like  paintings...

Graffiti juxtaposed with the sacred...

 

 

 

Crumbling beauty...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, doorbells, keyholes, and letterboxes to swoon over...

 



 

 



 

 

 

 

 

NEXT TIME... THE ISLAND OF BURANO...

Here's a sneak preview...

 

 

 

: CLICK HERE TO GO TO: 

www.chasingsantafe.blogspot.com

October in Venice

 A   P E R S O N A L   G L I M P S E

 

 
Photography by C. Whitney-Ward

 

I had been dreaming of going to Venice for years. And, this October, I did just that. For two glorious weeks I feasted on the magnificence of this incomparable place, wandering, ogling, delighting, and of course, snapping a thousand and one

photographs - trying to capture the romance and wonderment that is Venice.

 

I planned this trip months and months in advance, reading so many books and articles and travel guides that I felt that Venice and I were already old friends. But for one brief moment as we began our descent into Marco Polo Airport,  I wondered if this vividly-imagined place would live up to its exalted reputation.   It did.

 

 

This was the first photograph that I took of Venice. And when the image appeared in the viewfinder it seemed to reveal the haunting essence  of this

 beautiful, beautiful place.

 

 

The Grand Canal - Venice's main 'street' paved with water - sweeps past gently-hued buildings that seem too impossibly lovely to be real.  And if the army of windows  that punctuate each facade could talk, they would tell a tale of pageantry, intrigue and romance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I rented a charming apartment for my stay in Venice; it was close to the Rialto Bridge

 and looked out onto a small, bustling plaza and lovely buildings across the way.

 

 

 

 

 

 Each morning I'd throw open the shutters and survey my neighborhood kingdom and its parade of characters -  children  on their way to school; tourists  with  backpacks and noisy rolling suitcases; and impeccably-dressed Venetians  dashing to work.

 

Each day was an adventure bursting with visual treats. Aside from a few must sees, my days were unplanned and spontaneous. I'd head off in a different direction each morning, stopping to take a photo when something caught my eye. I captured vistas,  gondolas, shop windows, architectural details, the every-present pigeons, people, gorgeous food, and  colorful clotheslines pinned with all manner of just-washed  necessities.

 

Take a visual romp with me...

 

 

Gondolas are sleek and beautiful and plentiful. They were first mentioned in an eleventh century document, and according to a law passed in the sixteenth century that has never been recinded, they must be BLACK. But the opulent interiors are varied and vibrant.

 

 

 

 

Waiting for a fare.

 

 

 

 

 

 

October is still  high season in Venice and there are hoards of tourists everywhere. But, if you get off the beaten paths you can enjoy a few solitary adventures. There is so much to photograph. Venetian doors are resplendent with handsome door knockers and letter slots, and at every turn and twist of a narrow walkway, a visual treasure is revealed.

 



 

 

 



 



 



And then there are the pigeons. They turned up everywhere in my photographs...

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

VENICE - GLIMPSES

 

PART TWO

 

COMING SOON...