Venice Islands of Murano, Burano etc.
 

Hello, <BR> <BR>We'll be in Venice for 4 1/2 days. Should we spend a day visiting the islands of Murano and Burano? Or maybe the southern islands (ie, San Giorgio Maggiore, San Lazzaro, Lido)??? <BR> <BR>So many choices! It's a bit overwhelming! <BR> <BR>Thanx, <BR>Grady

I only went to Burano but it made a nice afternoon trip. It is a small island of colourful houses and doesn't really warrant more than 1/2 day. The church there was closed and there weren't many places to eat. In retrospect I would have probably preferred to visit Torcello with its old churches - much of it predates Venice itself.

Murano is noteworthy only for the glassblowing and the prices there are higher than Venice itself. Burano was very sweet with its colourful houses for the fishermen and the lacemaking but very touristy. The lacework is gorgeous though. Torcello I liked the best - the old church dates from the 8th C and it's a lovely walk from the boat jetty.

Been to Venice many times and I've seen all the outer islands. Forget Lido I'd suggest. Crowded and lots of cars. I think the cemetary island is very interesting for a few hours....the nicest cemetary I have ever seen in the world in my opinion. Murano is so crass I find I don't even bother to go there anymore. Torcello is interesting for a few hours but there is very little on the island. My favorite is Burano as it makes for *great* photographs with all the bright colors of the buildings. <BR>

I loved Torcello because it is sparsely populated, wild and deserted looking. <BR>There is one expensive but beautiful <BR>place to have lunch, Locanda Cipriani,where you can sit overlooking a garden, and there is a less-expensive place as well. The churches have mosaics and frescos that I will never forget. However, there is no shopping or other attractions other than the island itself. <BR>Murano is where I bought my Venetian glass. I avoided all the little glass souvenir shops on the main street. Their glass is tourist-oriented and is mostly small, easily-packable <BR>mass-produced items most of which is not even really made on Murano, as is the case with a good deal of the glass in the rest of Venice. If you want to spend money for some larger pieces or sets of glasses to send home, there are a couple of factories with show rooms that had items and designs that I saw nowhere else in Venice, and I had done a lot of comparison browsing. I was satisfied with both the price and quality at the showroom on Murano I went to, but it certainly was not a bargain. <BR>I have not been to Burano, hear it is colorful and picturesque. Again, some of the lace is actually made there, and some is imported just to sell to tourists. <BR>

Elaine, <BR> <BR>in your post you said glass to "send home". Were you able to ship purchases from the showrooms in Murano? How did you do this? My husband always stops me from making larger purchases when we travel because of the difficulty of carrying it for the rest of the trip, it would be nice to be able to ship things. But I've heard horror stories about the Italian postal system. Did you use DHL or some equivalent?

Hi Beth <BR>I had no trouble with the factory/showroom I dealt with which is called Seguso. Their business cards have another name on them which is the corporate name. They are on the main street of Murano but as it turns a corner to go in another direction. If you want their address email me and I will get it and send it to you. <BR> <BR>I had no trouble with the shipping, but the process does take about 3 months because the items are made to order <BR>(even though samples were on display). <BR>The manufacture took about a month, and the shipping another two months. I had to pay some customs charges to the US post office, but the items were delivered to my apartment building. However, I live in a port city, New York, so I don't know how customs and delivery works elsewhere in the US (if you are in the US). My items were packed very very well--this company is experienced and they know what they are doing. In fact, when I finished placing the order in the Murano showroom and returned to my hotel in Venice, the salesman called me at my hotel to tell me he had made an error on the receipt he had given me, an error in THEIR favor, that he was immediately correcting on my credit card slip, which he did. <BR>I'll add another comment. Many hotels in Venice proper have arrangements with glass factories on Murano. The hotel will tell its guests that they have arranged for a free water-taxi ride <BR>to Murano for anyone who would like to go. I did this. It was very convenient. When we arrived on Murano the boat driver <BR>tried to steer all of us to one particular glass factory. I do not blame him for this. However, I wanted to browse on my own , so I spent about 10 minutes in the sponsoring glass factory and then I left to look elsewhere. <BR>There is not necessarily anything wrong with this "free ride" practice, but I didn't want to be limited to one factory and one show room. <BR>