Island of Lost Souls

The Venetian Northern Lagoon
I would highly recommend a three island tour of the northern lagoon as a day out from Venice. You'll take in Torcello, Burano and Murano, and there's even a lighthouse along the way, what more could you ask for?

Island of Burano, Northern Venetian Lagoon, Italy

Catch the vaporetto from Fondamente Nove in Venice and your first stop should be the island furthest away, the sparsely populated Torcello. The island is cited as being the birthplace of Venice as it was here the first refugees from northern Italy settled in the 5th century after fleeing Attila the Hun. We found Torcello deathly quiet and an island born out of simplicity, and maybe indicative of how the people of Venice used to live many centuries ago. On Torcello it's natural to head towards the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta, famous for it's Venetian-Byzantine mosaics and whilst we didn't take a look at the mosaics on this occasion, we did ascend the campanile. It offers great views of the lagoon and you can see modern Venice shimmering in the distance. 

Campanile, Torcello, Northern Venetian Lagoon, Italy

After a pleasant hour on Torcello we headed back to the water taxi stop and did the short hop across the water to Burano, famous for the wonderfully colourful fisherman's huts that adorn the picturesque canals and bridges.

Island of Burano, Northern Venetian Lagoon, Italy

Island of Burano, Northern Venetian Lagoon, Italy

The pretty Burano is an instagrammer's dream, and as such it was much busier than Torcello. But there are plenty of nooks and crannies to explore and avoid the selfie-takers if you so wish. There are also plenty of options to grab lunch here, so we obliged with a quick pizza and a beer.

Island of Burano, Northern Venetian Lagoon, Italy

The water bus to our third and last island of this short tour was busy, but at least there was a lighthouse waiting for us. Murano is famous for glass makers, and there were plenty of shops selling expensive glass items if that is your thing.
Faro di Murano is a great light, but there wasn't a decent vantage point to photograph it from the island. The best views were probably from the boat.

Faro di Murano, Italy

The return to Venice takes no time at all, and should you wish you could take in one last stop at the cemetery island, the Cimitero di San Michele. We decided to save that for next time.
And that was the end to our last full day in Venice. There was just another very pleasant evening to be had, exploring the quiet, haunted streets of the city en route to another great restaurant experience.

The following morning one there was one last surprise as we walked to catch the early vaporetto to the airport. The water taxi stop was in the shadow of the Rialto Bridge, and I can report it was deserted first thing on a Sunday morning. You could have had the bridge to yourself! Incredible.

The forty minute boat ride along the Grand Canal and through the Venetian Lagoon was the perfect way to reflect on our first visit to Venice, and the perfect way to leave the most beautiful city in the world.

Venice, Italy