Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ISOLA DI SAN FRANCESCO DEL DESERTO
Given that the Venetian lagoon is situated on one of the most important migration routes in Europe, it only seems
right that Francis of Assisi, the saint so famous for talking to birds, should have sought shelter here after his jour-
ney to Palestine in 1220. He built a chapel and a cell and after his death, Jacopo Michiel, the owner of the island,
decided to give it to the Franciscans in perpetuity. In 1420 the friars were forced to desert the island (hence the
name) due to rampant malaria, but in 1856 Monsignor Portogruaro brought them back and here they have re-
mained as caretakers ever since.
Today, visits are only possible by prior arrangement with the
monastery
( 041 528 68 63;
www.sanfrancescodeldeserto.it
;
Isola di San Francesco del Deserto; admission free, donations appreciated;
9-11am & 3-5pm Tue-Sun) , and are led by a Franciscan brother. As this is a place of prayer visitors are kindly
asked to speak in hushed tones as they are led around the two cloisters and into the serene chapel where St Fran-
cis himself is said to have prayed. Best of all are the peaceful, cypress-scented gardens with their dreamlike views
of Burano.
To get here you'll need to hire a private boat or water taxi, or arrange a visit as part of a day trip boating on the
lagoon. From Burano expect to pay about €80 to €100 return for up to four passengers in a taxi, including 40- to
60-minute wait time.
If you fancy a stroll, hop across the 60m bridge to Burano's even quieter sister island,
Mazzorbo. Little more than a broad grassy knoll, Mazzorbo is a great place for a picnic or
a long, lazy lunch. The LN
vaporetto
also stops at Mazzorbo.
MUSEO DEL MERLETTO
MAP
MUSEUM
GOOGLE MAP
(Lace Museum; 041 4273 0892;
www.visitmuve.it
;
adult/reduced €5/3.50; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct, to
4.30pm Nov-Mar; Burano)
Burano's newly renovated Lace Museum tells the story of a craft
that cut across social boundaries, endured for centuries and evoked the epitome of civil-
isation reached during the Republic's heyday. From the triple-petalled corollas on the
fringes of the Madonna's mantle in Torcello's 12th-century mosaics to Queen Margher-
ita's spider web-fine 20th-century mittens, lace-making was both the creative expression
of female sensitivity and a highly lucrative craft.
The exhibit starts downstairs with a video explaining the early origins of lace-making
and its geographical spread from Northern France to Bohemia, Malta and Turkey, while
upstairs four rooms cover the major developments from the 16th to the 20th century. Pat-
tern books, journals, paintings, furniture and costumery place the evolving art in context,
starting with ecclesiastical garments and delicate
trinette
(accessories), and branching out
into naughty, fringed underwear and sumptuously embroidered bodices shot through with
silver thread. In the final room, bringing it all to life, a group of local lacemakers sit tat-
ting and gossiping beneath pictures of the Lace School (where many of them learnt their
