Burano’s Colored Houses: What They Are, Where They Are, History and Curiosities

Did you know that Burano is considered one of the 10 most colorful places in the world? No? Well, you only have to set foot on the island to understand why!

Burano, in fact, is characterized by the presence of its typical colorful little houses: so many garish shades of color that create a truly incredible optical effect.

Depending on the time of day and the position of the sun, you can admire the little houses illuminated by the sun or perhaps reflected on the water!

Wondering where to find them and why they look the way they do? Continue reading the article and find out everything you need to know about these beautiful little houses!

Wait! Before we continue let me give you a tip: booking your Burano tour in advance allows you to get many benefits and save money, plus you won’t have to think about transportation optimizing the time of your visit. You only need to click to find yourself among the colors of Burano!

Where they are and how to visit them

Colorful little houses of Burano in the evening | ID 76670461 @ Nataliya Hora | Dreamstime.com

I want to give you some good news: it is almost impossible for you not to be able to visit the colorful little houses of Burano!

In fact, almost every house on the island has this feature, so whichever street you choose to walk down you will come across some colorful little houses.

Obviously, there are some streets that have a greater concentration of these colorful buildings, or at least places that are particularly popular and ideal for unforgettable photo shoots.

For example, I recommend you visit the Tre Ponti area, an area where small stores and clubs are concentrated, right on the canal, where from all sides you will see many colorful little houses and fantastic colorful shades on the water!

Finally, the Buranelli people are very proud of their traditions and this is the reason why there are no hotel facilities on the island.

In fact, if you want to stay overnight in Burano, you will have to go through local families and you can sleep right in one of these beautiful little houses!

History of the houses of Burano, why they are colorful

If you are thinking that Burano’s colors can be traced back to a tourist gimmick, you are way off the mark.

To unearth the reasons for this choice you have to go way back in time and above all there is a motivation that is actually very pragmatic.

The Buranelli, in fact, have always been a population of fishermen who, in order to procure food, had to go out by boat regardless of the weather conditions.

However, getting back was often not easy because of the frequent fogs that affected the Venice lagoon.

For this reason, the people of Burano decided to paint the houses in very bright and ever-changing colors, so that they would be easy to spot even in precarious visual conditions.

In this way, every fisherman was able to return to the right spot on the island to find himself immediately at home, without wasting time and docking far away.

What was initially created for utility purposes has, over time, turned into a tourist attraction and an identity trait of which the Buranelli are very proud.

Particular houses in Burano

There are three houses in Burano, each particular in its own way, differing from the others in some special way.

Lego House

Colorful brick house of Burano | ID 94617458 @ Gozzoli | Dreamstime.com

It is a pretty little house built all with colored bricks and the effect that is created is really incredible.

Located in Piazza Umberto 1, it is right behind the Church of San Martino, so it is easy to fit into your itinerary.

Its peculiarity of presenting lots of colors differentiates it from most of the houses in Burano which are, usually, solid-colored.

The House of Bepi Suà

Bepi’s famous house | ID 116689441 @ Matteoceruti70 | Dreamstime.com

Bepi was a man particularly beloved by the island’s inhabitants: his real name was Giuseppe Toselli, born in 1920.

Bepi’s house is located on Via al Gottolo and is known because it is the most colorful house on the entire island!

This little house, in fact, features many colors and geometric shapes painted by Bepi himself, making it unique to the point that it has become an attraction on the island.

Bepi used to repaint his house every day, always giving it a new facade and a different look.

After his death, the house retained the last geometric pattern painted by the man, and after time had peeled away the color, a lasting restoration was carried out in 2005.

Today, therefore, the house appears in one of the Burano artist’s most successful fantasies, with all its triangles, circles, squares and the thousands of colors used.

Bepi was also beloved on the island for another peculiarity: he was fond of cinema and had a collection of tape recorders and projectors that he put at the service of the little ones.

He used, in fact, to spread a white sheet outside the house and project cartoons onto it so as to amuse and entertain the little ones.

If you pass through Burano , you really cannot miss this wonderful house and its romantic history that still echoes through the streets of the island.

The House of Remigio Barbaro

The “Waiting for Peace” statue by artist Remigio Barbaro | ID 173218441 @ Jordi Romo Del Amo | Dreamstime.com

So far I have told you about the colorful houses in Burano, but there is one that stands out for precisely the opposite reason: it has no hue.

Located on Via Terranova, it is the home of Remigio Barbaro in which the artist lived until his death in 2005.

Barbaro was known by everyone by the nickname “the professor,” and he was a Franciscan sculptor: in fact, there is a quote from the Canticle of St. Francis on the wall of the house.

The house preserves all of the artist’s works and has remained intact even after Barbaro’s death, just as the sculptor had requested.

On the island you will be able to find several sculptures by the work of Remigio Barbaro himself, a man appreciated among the Buranelli despite his shy and solitary nature: for example, “Waiting for Peace.”

Frequently asked questions

Conclusions

Here we have come to the concluding part of this article in which we have discovered together everything you need to know about Burano’s colorful little houses.

I have explained to you the history behind this color choice of the island and now you know that the motivation for all those colors is related to the seafaring nature of the buranelli.

We saw together where to find these houses and how to visit them, as well as discovered that in many of these structures it is possible to stay overnight.

Finally, we found out which houses are the most distinctive on the island, the most colorful and one that stands out precisely because of its lack of hue.

Before concluding, I have answered the most frequently asked questions on this topic, but if you should have any other doubts and would like to tell us your thoughts on this topic, please feel free to leave a comment below.

Burano is one of the 10 most colorful places in the world and missing it would be an unforgivable mistake: book your tour and come and admire the wonderful Burano sunsets where the colors seem to melt into the water!