Burano: Island of Lace Makers
Next, it seems compulsory to undertake a diversionary circuit of Murano with its historic yet bespoke glassmaking furnaces and sparkling showrooms that collide on narrow streets with fellow day tripping visitors. Be amazed by the skilled craftsmanship and versatility of glass. Little wonder palaces were adorned with it.
The Burano Museum and School of Lacemaking is a delightful (and cool) repository of all things lace. The Museum showcases local talents and a rich legacy that skilled Burano women have created. It offers examples of the many varieties and uses for lace, explaining that women often specialized in a single stitch. Apparently, there are seven specific stitches, so I am sure competition was fierce… Burano’s reputation was so established as a centre for the finest quality lace that Leonardo da Vinci was drawn here in 1481 to purchase a cloth suitable for Milan Cathedral’s main altar.
14th
July 2015
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| Step 1: Take a Vaporetto to the Venetian Lagoon Islands of Murano & Burano Step 2. Don't forget to stop off in Murano to see some real Glass magic too!. |
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| Step 3: The Burano Lace Museum is located in the Piazza near the Catholic Church |
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| Skilled craftsmanship. Murano Glass Table Decorations |
Travelling to the islands is such a lovely diversion from bustling Venice. First, there’s the vaporetto ride across the
muddy lagoon bypassing intriguing islands little visited.
Next, it seems compulsory to undertake a diversionary circuit of Murano with its historic yet bespoke glassmaking furnaces and sparkling showrooms that collide on narrow streets with fellow day tripping visitors. Be amazed by the skilled craftsmanship and versatility of glass. Little wonder palaces were adorned with it.
Finally, we arrived on Burano to be
greeted by the sunshine of colour radiating from Murano’s terraced houses, spreading
cheer over cobbled streets and narrow canals.
Burano’s
heyday for needle lace spanned the 16th to 18th century,
crafts women having been introduced to the skill via links to Cyprus. In 1872, a school to teach and revive the
skill was opened but as with many handmade crafts, its production is
time-consuming and therefore costly.
Much of the lace available in those rather too-plentiful souvenir stalls
has been made by machine and not on the Island. It is possible though, to nose about and purchase
the real thing - La Perla, Merletti d’Arte Martina & Creazioni Monica have
been suggested in my reading material.
What a wonderful way to support a traditional craft and what a treasure
to own!
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| Embroidery & Lace |
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| A well stocked Museum |
The Burano Museum and School of Lacemaking is a delightful (and cool) repository of all things lace. The Museum showcases local talents and a rich legacy that skilled Burano women have created. It offers examples of the many varieties and uses for lace, explaining that women often specialized in a single stitch. Apparently, there are seven specific stitches, so I am sure competition was fierce… Burano’s reputation was so established as a centre for the finest quality lace that Leonardo da Vinci was drawn here in 1481 to purchase a cloth suitable for Milan Cathedral’s main altar.
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| How to wear your Lace & Silk with Style |
