If you would like to see details about our journey, check out our itinerary and our bike route.
Although the number 2 bus stops just a few steps from our apartment, we had to walk about 10 minutes down to the bus station to pick up paper versions of the Unica transportation passes I had purchased online. We headed out early, found the kiosk that dispenses the tickets, and with paper passes in hand, crowded onto the next bus to the island.
When we arrived at the bus station in Piazzale Roma in Venice, we went straight to the pier and got on the next vaporetto to Murano, the glass-making island.
On Murano, we wandered the streets, discovering the quiet residential center near a park and cemetery before returning to the crowded tourist shopping area near the water. We found a quiet cafe in a courtyard and had breakfast, then window shopped our way back to the pier, where we hopped on the next vaporetto to Burano, the lace-making island.
Burano is known for colorfully painted cottages. We did more window shopping and ate cicchetti (open-faced sandwiches similar to Spanish tapas) at a cafe on a side street. We ended up sitting next to a young couple from New Jersey on the second day of their honeymoon. They had discovered only the week before that they were pregnant, and were excited about all the new things ahead for them.
Next we took a vaporetto to Torcello, the first island to be settled in the Venetian lagoon. Back in 452 AD, after the fall of the Roman Empire, the Veneti retreated to this island to escape barbarian invasions. Today, there are just a few permanent residents, a couple of shops and small restaurants, and a handful of ancient monuments including the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta (with Venetian-Byzantine mosaics), the bell tower of the basilica (with views of Burano), and the Ponte del Diavolo (a low stone bridge).
Finishing our water circuit back at Piazzale Roma on the main island, we hopped on the number 2 bus, which dropped us off a block from our apartment, where we cooled off in the AC, ate leftovers for dinner, and did laundry.
As the washer started its final spin, we settled in to read before sleeping. That’s when Ken remembered that he had left his paper Unica pass in his shirt pocket. The shirt that was in the washer. A half hour later, I had ordered a new pass online and we once again settled in to read.
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| Our goal for the day was to just absorb what we saw and experienced. The water buses are unique to Venice, as are the old buildings on the canals. |
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| Although the canals were busy, and the vaporetti were crowded, we were able to relax and enjoy the day slowly. |
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| The showroom for a glass factory on Murano. |
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| Approaching Murano. |
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| We arrived in Murano mid-morning on a Sunday. About half of the shops and a few of the restaurants were open, and there were only a few tourists on the narrow walkways. |
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| Murano was fairly quiet when we arrived. |
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| Burano was smaller, colorful, and starting to get crowded around noon. |
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| When we got off the vaporetto on Torcello, we walked about 10 minutes up a canal, past the stone bridge, to the center of the island, where the basilica, bell tower, church, museum, and a restaurant are located. Only a few people live on the island now. |
