Cruising the canals of Burano, Italy where we enjoy colorful houses, lace and history.

From Cortellazzo we made our way northwest up the Fiume Piave, passing under the many fishnets hung above the river between the villages of Cortellazzo and Eraclea. It was Saturday, and we needed to reach the lock at the intersection with Fiume Piave Vecchia, which is only open on Saturdays and Sundays. A 2-knot current was moving through the river, slowing our speed and creating a tricky passage through the lock.

Canal Boat Ride to Burano

After nearly an hour motoring, we passed under a low bridge (Bimini down) at Castalidia. Our next time constraint was to reach the bridge at Caposile, open to boat traffic only at specific times during the day. We were able to make the 12:30 p.m. opening. The next scheduled opening wouldn’t be until 2 p.m. After another hour of motoring, we reached the lock at Portegrandi to enter Canal Silone. It was another timing issue since this lock is closed from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. Since we were 30 minutes early for the 2 p.m. opening, we tied-up to some pilings along the bulkhead just outside the lock and had a bite to eat.

We were soon on our way down the Canale Silone and entered the large lagoon of Venezia. It became obvious from all the boat traffic that we were near the populated area of Venice. We made our way to the island city of Burano and tied along a seawall reserved for canal boat moorage. Burano is known for its lace making and brightly-painted houses of red, yellow, pink, green, purple and blue, shimmering in the sun along its small canals that intersect the town.

The church of San Martin Vescovo and its leaning bell tower is a focal point in the town square.  Nearby is the island of Torcello, a 10-minute water-bus ride from Burano, or you can access the island by boat and moor on the east side of the island. Torcello was a venue for Roman holidays and is today the most important archaeological site in Venice’s lagoon.

Click to read the full article on llcruise2018.blogspot.com.