The waves stroke the boat as the young fisherman let his nets slide into the water. Suddenly, he heard the tender voice of a woman. The young man looked around in amazement. He was in the middle of the sea. It was impossible to find a woman here. He also saw no boats nearby. The beautiful enchanting song became louder and louder, approaching the fisherman, when he suddenly saw a beautiful young woman in the middle of the waves.
A mermaid!
But he had been warned about their songs and so he started to think of his fiancée, who was waiting for him at home on Burano island, to distract himself. Guess what, he actually managed to resist the sweet singing and face of the mermaid!
A kingly gift
His loyalty and steadfastness impressed the mermaid and her queen so much that she decided to reward the young man:
She hit the side of the boat with her tail and the foam that was created by this movement turned into a beautiful wedding veil of the finest lace that the young man had ever laid eyes upon. Back on land, the young man handed the kingly gift over to his fiancée.
Jealousy is rising
The women on Burano island were green with envy (roughly the hue of the wicked witch ofthe West)! They too wanted to call such a beautiful veil their own and began to copy it.
This is how, according to legend, the Burano lace was born.
Burano today
The island of Burano (attention, not Murano, that's where the glass comes from) is known for its needle lace ("merletti"), which is still handmade on the island up till today.
Another highlight are the colorful houses that seem small glass beads and whose motley facades are reflected in the water.
