The island of Burano is, next to the almost unpopulated Torcello, the one truly inhabitated centre of the northern lagoon. Known for its brightly coloured houses, it too was founded by refugees from the mainland escaping the barbarian invaders. It is far enough from Venice that the people of Burano feel like Buranei more than Venetian, and still strongly hold onto their accent, distinctly different from Venetian, and just as proudly they guard and promote their century-old traditions, first and foremost that of lace-making.
