Cannaregio - The second largest sestiere. and other Venice, Italy Off The Beaten Path Tips

Cannaregio is Venice's second largest sestiere, stretching across the north west of the city from the station almost to the Rialto Bridge. It's one of the few parts of the city where Venetians still live in great numbers. Its numerous restaurants offer some of the best cuisine available in Venice at very reasonable prices. Especially in and around the Ghetto area and the Foundamenta della Misericorda where we found a good selection of both regional and ethnic restaurants.

Canneregio was settled well before AD 1900, when the first dwellings were built on the islands of San Giovanni Crisostome and Santi Apostoli, close to Rialto.

Address:
Sestiere of Cannaregio.

Directions:
North western of Piazza San Marco – a 12 minute walk.

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The areas adjencted to the Grand Canal were built up next. The urban sprawl proceeded northwards, on what were, untill then, remote islands. With the construction of the railway and road bridge to the mainland in the 19th century, the mainly residential and religious nature of the sestiere changed. But it contains treasures in its own right.

We visited Canneregio on our last day in Venice. We started our hike at Stazione Ferroviaria Santa Lucia and walked our way into the sestiere via Rio Terra Lista di Spagna. There are numerous local markets located throughout this area serving the Venetians who still live here, and providing lively and colourful scenes for us. We learned that Canneregio was the last part of the historic center of Venice to be developed, its canal are remarkably straight and well organized. We walked all the way to Fondamenta Nuova and enjoyed the sweeping views of the northern lagoon and the Island of San Michele and Murano.

Address:
Sestiere of Cannaregio.

Directions:
North western of Piazza San Marco – a 12 minute walk.

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On our way back to the Grand Canal we passed-by Tintoretto's house, which houses work by this popular artist. We also visited his local parish church, the Madonna dell'Orta. The name of the church originates from a weeping statue found in a nearby garden. After that we walked our way a bit back to the station to admire Campo Ghetto Nuovo and its Sinagoga.

Finally we made it to Strada Nuova, which is one of Venice's major town-planning schemes, linking the city centre around Rialto with the railway station. Our conclusion about Cannaregio is that on this sestiere, special attention must be paid to the number of palaces, dating from the Byzantine period to the 18th century, that are to be found together with large 16th century quater of the Ghetto, and the churches and monasteries, which are numerous in this area too.

Address:
Sestiere of Cannaregio.

Directions:
North western of Piazza San Marco – a 12 minute walk.

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Bustling Burano is another famous island in the lagoon. It's the island of fishers, of lace and of brightly painted houses. However secluded, distant and off the beaten path as it may appear today, Burano has always been closely connected to Venice, whose glorious past it has shared in good and bad times. We first visited the island of Murano and that point on we took the vaporetto to Burano. The trip wasn't scenic at all and was made with a larger vaporetto with very linited outside deck.

The ancient layout of the town has been preserved through the centuries, developing over some smaller islands divided by the 3 main canals. This means that the island has one main street and several offshoots.

Finally do remember that visitors to Venice usually stay for only 1 day. They are so packed with things to see in the city that very few find time to visit the islands. When they do, they go to Murano, much closer to Venice and more famous because of the art of glassmaking. Making time to reach Burano rewarded us with an unique experience. The noise of boat engines, the queues of tourists from the package tours could not detract from the beauty of this place. Here, very little has changed.

Address:
The island of Burano.

Directions:
Burano can be reached from the Fondamenta Nuove of Murano Faro stop, taking the LN Line.

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As soon as we got off the vaporetto we walked along Via Marcello and turned right to the Fondamenta si San Mauro. We already passed stalls of lace vendors. Besides admiring the lace we advice you to pop into a cake shop to taste the famous Bussolia Buranelli, butter biscuits made in a round shape that are wonderful when drunked in sweet Vin Santo.

The Burano houses have their distant origin in the ancient lagoon casoni (fishing lodges) buildings made of reeds and mud with thatched roofs, generally with a square plan and no more than 2 or 3-storey high. The homely Burano cottages stand side by side in long rows, following the gentle curve of the canals and, possibly, the exposure to the sunlight. The facades are brightly painted in primary colours, each house a different, personalized hue.

The village's pastel-coloured houses have appeared on countless postcards, but they're more that just pretty facades. They say that the bonbon colours have their origins in the fishermens desire to be able to see their own houses when heading home from a long day at the sea. Given the island's distance from Venice we really had the feeling of having arrived somewhere else. We took time to wonder into the quietest corners and shady parks.

Address:
The island of Burano.

Directions:
Burano can be reached from the Fondamenta Nuove of Murano Faro stop, taking the LN Line.

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After this walk we came to Via Baldascare Galuppi that opened onto the square with the same name. It was time for a late lunch. We had a really great lunch at Trattoria "Da Primo" at Piazza Caluppi, the main square. It offered us traditional dishes based on a time-honoured cooking tradition that makes ample use of the local fish produce, the typical ingredients of the humble fishermen and farmers of the island, the harvest of the lagoon. The food was simple but very tasty, and splendid in the simplicity of its preparation.

After this lunch we visited the San Martino Cathedral, which was build in the 16th century. The famous leaning tower is of the early 18th century. It also houses the "Crocefissione" painting by Tiepolo. We also saw some women working away at their lacy creations in the shade of their homes and in the parks. Lace making was a craft which was valued very high of and Burano is very famous because of it. But choose carefully if you plan to buy lace on Burano, as these days much of the cheaper stuff is imported from Asia. If you're interested in the lace history of Burano we recommend you to visit the Museo del Merletto, which explores the craft and history of Burano lace.

Our conclusion is that Burano is a treat for the senses. Vibrant colour is everywhere, Italian pizza wafts through the air, small faily-owned cafes offer detectable meals, lacey linens feel cool and soft to be touched. But, best of all, the sounds of Burano offer a quiet playfulness compared to the crowded bustling of Venice.

Address:
The island of Burano.

Directions:
Burano can be reached from the Fondamenta Nuove of Murano Faro stop, taking the LN Line.

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Sleepy Murano is the largest of islands in the lagoon. It lies about 1,5 km across from Venice and was inhabitated since Roman times. The word Murano nowadays suggests glass factories and glass blowing. In fact the development of this island in the Middle Ages is strictly connected with glass. Murano was a commercial port as far back as the 7th century and by the 10th century it had grown into a prosperous trading center with its own coins, police force and commercial aristocracy. Then, in 1291, the Venetian Republic ordered glassmakers to move their foundries to Murano, because the glassworks represented a fire danger in Venice, whose buildings were mostly wooden at that time.

For us visiting Murano was a bit of a disappointment. The area around the Ponte Vibarini was under construction and that definately didn't make it any prettier. Besides that we wanted to visit the Museo Vetrario which is devoted to the art and history of glasswork. But we were not able to see the exquisite pieces on display, because we learned that the museum was closed on Wednesday!

Address:
The island of Murano.

Directions:
Murano can be reached from the Fondamenta Nuove taking the LN Line.

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Despite the fact that the Museo Vetrario was closed and the canals were under construction there still were some nice sites we wanted to visit. Murano with a similar shape to Venice, is a nine island system, connected by wooden and masonry bridges, crossing the Canal Grande (Grand Canal). And because we had time on our hands we spended more time of our visit at the island's architectural highlight, the Veneto-Byzantine Basilica di Santi Maria e Donato, with a colonnaded apse facing the canal to welcome people arriving from the sea. This is quite a distinguished fact that the back part is facing the Canal Grande, while the main part is oriented to the Orient side. The church was in origin dedicated to the Madonna and in a second moment to San Donato. It´s a Hexogonal plant facade, and a typical revennate basilica. The line of blind arches on the groundfloor is repeated on the gallery above. Between these two levels runs a series of triangles decorated with flowers and animals.

Maybe this ancient church is deceptively simple in outward appearance, but it is richly decorated inside. Inside you'll find a 12th century mosaic pavement presenting high quality ornament motive and symbolic animal figures and also the Madonna Orante image. We also learned that the foundation and its cellars go back to the 7th century and this makes it the oldest building of the entire lagoon.

Address:
The island of Murano.

Directions:
Murano can be reached from the Fondamenta Nuove taking the LN Line.

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The word Murano nowadays suggests glass factories and glass blowing. In fact the development of this island in the Middle Ages is strictly connected with glass. Like we said at the end of the 13th century the Venetian government decided to move all existing glass factories in Venice to the island. Because of this decision the methods of the craft became such a well-guarded secret that it was considered treason for glass-workers to leave the island.

Finally we saw some glass-workers in action and that was quite fascinating! We saw the workers in several outlets along Fondamenta dei Vetra, but were told that there are also a couple on Viale Garibaldi, just look for the sign "Fornace" (furnace). We witnessed someone creating glass from sand using fire and air. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take any pictures. We asked the question why Murano´s glassmakers were so special. They answered us that they were the only people in Europe who knew how to make a mirror at that time. But they also developed or refined technologies such as crystalline glass, enameled glass (smalto), glass with threads of gold (aventurine), multicoloured glass (millefiori), milk glass (lattimo) and imitation gemstones made of glass. Their virtual monopoly on quality glass lasted for centuries. After this nice conversation they allowed us to take two pictures. How about that?

Address:
The island of Murano.

Directions:
Murano can be reached from the Fondamenta Nuove taking the LN Line.

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So what to do once you´re at Murano? Well take your wallet and your credidt card, but most of all take your sense of humor. The kitschiness of some of the glassware is hysterical and you have to wonder who buys the green hippoes and pink flamingoes on show in some of the galleries. We ended up buying a book layer and some other small stuff.

But most of all try to feel the beauty of the island itself as well. Murano is a self-enclosed world with the nice pastel buildings, canals and bridges of its larger neighbour. But at the same time wonderfully quiet and relaxing. Here we shopped for glassware, wondered the galleries and avoided the crowds in what is probably Venices' most exquisite island. So we enjoyed the sense that real life goes on here. Along the main canal were gelateria's, snack bars and backeries. Women came out of the church and men bought vegetables from a sellars boat moored on the canal.

After all that glassware the ride to Burano was very refreshing. We were overtaken by buzzling speedboats whose water splashed aboard our vessel. How fabulous it must be to live in Venice and take the speedboat out for lunch!

Address:
The island of Murano.

Directions:
Murano can be reached from the Fondamenta Nuove taking the LN Line.

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