Piazza Baldassare Galuppi Square

Piazza Baldassare Galuppi, Heart of Burano

At the end of Via Baldassare Galuppi, the commercial thoroughfare that leads almost directly from the landing stage to the centre of the island, Piazza Baldassare Galuppi forms the main monumental and lively heart of Burano. It is also the only true square on the island. Around this vast space are gathered several of its main heritage sites: the Church of San Martino Vescovo, dominated by its famous leaning campanile, the Lace Museum, and the ancient palace of the podestà of Torcello.

The museum building housed the Scuola dei Merletti from 1872, created to revive Burano's lace tradition, then in decline. In the centre of the square, an ancient well curb in Istrian stone also recalls the traditional organisation of Venetian public spaces. Nearby stands an old flagpole, also in Istrian stone, which once bore the gonfalon of St. Mark.

Piazza Galuppi naturally concentrates a large part of Burano's activity: cafés, restaurants, shops and lace boutiques accompany the almost continuous flow of visitors between the landing stage, the church and the museum. The atmosphere, however, changes quickly as soon as one leaves the square to reach the canals and nearby small streets, where one finds a more residential side of the island.