The Lagoon Islands When the City Lets Go

Venice sits in a lagoon, and the islands that share the water are the daytrips that give the city its breathing room. Burano — forty minutes by vaporetto from Fondamente Nove — is a fishing village where every house is painted a different color and the lace-making tradition that made the island famous for centuries still produces handwork in a few remaining shops. Murano is closer and larger — the glass-making island where the furnaces have been burning since 1291, when the Venetian Republic moved the glassmakers offshore to reduce the fire risk to the city.

The Certosa island, recently reopened, has kayak and boat rentals and is the lagoon's best spot for a quiet afternoon on the water with the city visible on the horizon. The Lido is Venice's beach — eleven kilometers of sand facing the Adriatic, with the art deco hotels of the Venice Film Festival on the lungomare.

Practical notes: Buy a 24-hour vaporetto pass (25 euros) and island-hop. Start with Murano (20 min from Fondamente Nove), continue to Burano (30 min from Murano), return via Treporti or Fondamente Nove. Burano is the most photogenic and the most crowded by midday — go early.