I still remember hearing about it. A group of backpackers I met told me I must visit this city named Burano near Venice where no two houses are the same color. I was like no way and looked it up and started giggling. I thought this is where Willy Wonka must live, because it’s so colorful. I knew I was only going to spend 2 days in Venice so I had to make plans to make the most of my time there. I spent my first day getting lost in Venice and spent hours walking around the beautiful city. The next day I purchased a 24 hour ACTV (Venice Public Transportation) pass for 16 euros (it’s now 20 euros) figured out how to get there and made my way to Burano.
I arrived and couldn’t believe my eyes it really did look like a place Willy Wonka would live. The houses were so cute and painted a million shades of the rainbow. I walked around and felt like a little kid again just smiling from ear to ear. It was like Venice only more colorful. The canals were the roads, boats were the cars and the islands were connected by bridges. I spent a few hours walking all over the city and taking hundreds of photos.
As I walked around I had the pleasure of speaking with some of the locals. They let me know that Burano is famous for it’s Lace, and that now most people make a living thanks to the few tourist that do make it off Venice to Burano. When I asked them about the colors they let me know that each house has a set of designated colors it can be painted that has been implemented since the Golden Ages. When someone wants to paint their house and they don’t want it to be the same color as it is already they must get permission from the government. I thought that was crazy yet so damn brilliant. You can see why it’s so brilliant by looking at these photos.
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Didn’t this make you smile? Isn’t this just brilliant?
Have you heard of Burano?
Would you want your home town to be painted a million shades of the rainbow?
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Beautiful photos Jaime! I love especially how you’ve captured the small details.
Lindsey recently posted..The Chasing the Wild Travel Philosophy
Thank you so much Lindsey. I think the small details is what I loved most. The matching curtains or beads.
oh mannnn i was just in venice, can’t believe i didn’t know about this place. next to yellow, rainbow is my favorite color!
Taylor recently posted..Yeouido Park and Yeouido Park Pool: Why One of Them Sucks
Oh damn Taylor, that sucks. I’m sorry you missed it. Now I wish I had published this sooner. It’s honestly been in my drafts for about 2 years.
I. Must. GO. Here. I love colors and I’ve always thought I belong in a Willy Wonka movie so it must be a sign. Must. GO.
Priya recently posted..Burning Bridges: Quitting
I hope you are able to go Priya… it’s amazing and yes I sometimes think I belong in a Willy Wonka movie too.
Absolutely stunning! I just love all of the vibrant colors. Thanks for sharing!
Happy travels 🙂
Lauren Meshkin @BonVoyageLauren recently posted..My Guide to 24 Hours in Charleston!
Thanks so much Lauren. Glad you enjoyed it.
Wow. Such beautiful colors! I love places that have so much color throughout all their little places. Tends to be very eye catching.
I agree so much. The color is just amazing.
Jaime, me encantan tus fotos…I will need to visit this town one day…I love pastel colors. What kind of camera and lenses do you use?
Ivan recently posted..Making Your Dreams Into Reality: Don’t Give Up On Yourself
Muchas Gracias Ivan. These photos were actually taken with a point shoot. I just now bought a DSLR and wide angle lens. I can’t wait to use on the road.
Awesome, I have a nikon dslr, but my wife just recently got me a compact system mirrorless samsung NX300 with a 30mm lens…that will probobably replace it, since the quality is on par with my dslr and so much smaller. I look forward to using it when we start our trip next year. Suerte en tu proxima aventura, espero ver mas de tus bonitas fotos! Tambien un dia me encantaria regresar a mexico.
Ivan recently posted..Korean Dessert Cafe: Sol Bing
We are gonna have fun with our new toys.
This is amazing, Jaime! Although towns here in the UK often have beautiful houses, they’re usually either varying shades of brown, grey or cream, and I wish that things were a bit brighter here – and don’t get me started on the houses in South Korea! Burano looks like exactly my kind of place, and I love how vivid everything is – the colours remind me of Cartagena in Colombia, but Burano is more vibrant. I adore going to Europe and seeing all the pastel colours that the buildings are painted in, but these shades really pop. I kinda wanna move there, like, now.
Oh yes Tom if you love colorful houses this is your town. This place if so damn colorful. These are the kinds of colors you will see all over Latin America. Like you mentioned Colombia and I can’t wait to see bright colors again when I get down there.
Permission from the government to paint your house?? Amazing! Looks like a southern version of Reykjavik, only brighter and happier. The more colorful the more visually appealing, I think. Most recently, I came across the city called Chefchaouen in Morocco — it´s like a rhapsody in blue, even more beautiful than Jodhpur, in my opinion.
Jay I know right it’s crazy. Oh & yes I have actually been to Chefchaouen & loved it so much. I posted a blog full of photos of that city. It is amazing. I fell in love.
awesome！
Thanks!
love the colors. amo tus fotos. 🙂
Muchas Gracias Enrique.
Wow Jaime, great photos and even better houses. I have to admit that I haven’t even heard of Burano although I passed through Venice, but you are certainly right: everything looks Willy Wonka cartoon like and the colorful houses seem even worth the 20 euro detour pass…
Since the government regulates the preservation of the current color scheme, do have any idea how the colorful mix came into existence? It seems hard to believe that the colors were a planned development, but on the other hand everything looks too good to be completely random…
Thank you so much Dennis, yeah it’s a town I hadn’t heard of either until a bit before going to Venice. It’s not a town I hear about often. I think the government has been regulating it for a very long time. I am not sure of all the details, but I just love it. I couldn’t find two houses that looked the same.
Amazing! I will make sure to visit Burano next time when in Italy. Thanks again for the great tip and those nice, colorful photos…
Dennis Kopp recently posted..Surreal British colonial Pyin Oo Lwin
I read this: “But what makes Burano different from the rest of the surrounding islands, is its rainbow of houses. Though these houses are beautifully painted and look like artwork, the reason for their vivid colors is quite practical. Years ago, the fishermen painted their houses bright colors so when they were coming home in the fog, they knew whose house was whose. That said, the colors of these houses have been in families for centuries. And, if you want to change the color of your house, you have to send in a request to the government.” from: http://www.tumblr.com/search/house%20color%20design
Amazing pictures, I would love to live in such a colorful place!
Marysia @ My Travel Affairs recently posted..Friday Lens Affair #50
I know right Marysia? It’s so beautiful and colorful.