Burano

Burano is one of the islands in the Venice lagoon. It is famous for its colorful houses and lace-making. You can watch the skilled women working and see why it takes months to make even the smallest piece; each lace-maker specializes in a particular stitch. Not surprising then that a lot of the lace currently for sale in Venice is knocked off in factories far far away; another example of Venice’s traditional crafts becoming too expensive for the modern world.

Burano’s other claim to fame is its color: every house is painted a bright shade of blue, yellow, pink, purple. Put this with the washing flapping in the breeze, the window boxes of red geraniums, and the painted saints in their wall niches and you feel like you're at a permanent festival.