When I was little, my grandmother often told me a story about Burano during winter evenings, when there was fog outside and the kitchen still smelled of coffee and freshly baked biscuits.

She said that many centuries ago, a young fisherman from Burano was returning home with his boat shortly before his wedding. The sea was calm and the lagoon almost completely still. At a certain point, some sirens appeared and tried to lure him away with their singing.

But the young man thought only about his bride waiting for him on the island and resisted the temptation. The Queen of the Sea, impressed by his loyalty, lifted the white foam of the waves and transformed it into a light veil, so beautiful it seemed to be made of light itself.

The young bride of Burano wore it on her wedding day, and all the women on the island were enchanted by its delicate patterns, filled with intricate details and transparency. According to the legend, Burano lace was born from that veil.

My grandmother always said that perhaps it does not really matter whether the story is true or not. In Burano, legends are part of everyday life, just like the laundry hanging between the colorful houses, the boats tied along the canals, and the elderly women sitting outside their doors sewing lace on sunny afternoons.



And even today, whenever I enter a lace shop in Burano and see certain handmade creations, I always think again about that story of the sea foam.