Casa Sibilla

The inhabitants of Altino to escape the barbarian invasions, took refuge in the various islands of the lagoon, giving these the names of six ports of the city: Murano, Mazzorbo, Burano, Torcello, ammiana and costanziaco, derivatives precisely by the names of the doors of Altino. The name Burano derives from "Porta down" so called because post to the North- East, direction from which blows the Bora.

The first houses of the islands were made of stilts, with the outside walls made of rods intertwined and subsequently plastered with mud. These were buildings much read composed by a single room, because the ground was soft. The pavement was in clay and the beds were made of dry leaves. Later, these "Casoni" were replaced by buildings in brick and some of the remaining were used for the activities of fishing and hunting.

There is a school of thought which assumes that Burano is not kind where today is. Some ancient texts written that the island was placed as close to the sea and that the inhabitants of the abandoned because of strong sea currents that innundated the earth and because of the winds that the eroded. Other texts instead write that Burano has always been where is today and that has always enjoyed an excellent geographic position: it appears that the continuous ventilation of the island has managed to keep away the malaria.

Since the times of the Republic of Venice, Burano with his modest population then of 8.000 people, was an island of poor people who lived mainly of fishing and agriculture. Thanks to the skills of lace began to grow, to become rich and to expand the local handicrafts also in the foreign countries.

The inhabited centre of Burano is divided today in five villages linked by bridges: San Martino right, San Martino left, San Mauro, giucecca and Newfoundland that are separated by the respective channels: Rio Jumper, Rio zuecca and Rio Newfoundland. The last amendment morphological made the island is the burial of main channel in order to obtain the piazza, which bears the name of the famous musician Baldassarre Galuppi.