Murano or Burano?

Today we bought a water bus or Vaporetto day pass so,that we could go out to the islands in the Lagoon.

All very interesting and colourful so it was very difficult to choose which to blip.

Murano is renowned for it's colourful glass and although we didn't visit a glass factory or indeed many of the shops there was glass art work on display in windows and public spaces everywhere. I liked these 'Picasso-esque' faces in this window and there were lots of others such as these sea birds near the quay and lighthouse.

Murano itself is very colourful but not quite as much as Burano which is further out into the lagoon. The houses here are all very brightly coloured and the speciality is lace making.
The day had been rather threatening and the forecast was poor but it was only here that we had a brief shower. With the colour of the houses it still looked bright and gay.

In contrast to these two visits we went to the much quieter island of Torcello in between to see the 9th century Basilica of Sta Maria dell'Assunta. Amazing though it is as the oldest building in the Lagoon it has features that go back to the 5th and 6th centuries. The mosaics and Byzantine panels are stunning but sadly no photography allowed!

We made the most of our ticket by returning via the Lido and the Grand Canal to get our first real glimpse of St Marks square to tempt us for tomorrow!