Burano’s colorful houses explained: from fishermen’s legend to repaint permits

The Italian island of Burano is awash with brightly colored houses. Red, blue, yellow, green — every facade looks lifted straight from a painter’s palette. But why this rainbow? Is it chance, tradition, or something more considered?

The fishermen’s legend and the practical reason

Locals like to tell a charming tale: long ago, fishermen would return in thick fog and struggle to spot their homes, so they began painting the walls in bold colors to guide themselves even in bad weather. The story is easy to picture — bright walls as beacons on a misty lagoon.

There is, however, a plainer explanation. Many believe the hues helped distinguish one family’s home from another on a small island where space is tight. Vivid paints also shielded facades from the sun and made the buildings stand out against the water. Between romance and routine, the truth likely lives somewhere in the middle.

Can you repaint a house without permission

Despite the sense of freewheeling color, you can’t just repaint a facade in Burano on a whim. Anyone who wants to change a house color has to get approval from the local authorities, who suggest several suitable shades for that location. The system may feel strict, but it’s what keeps the island’s patchwork harmonious and its character intact.

Other colorful cities around the world

Burano isn’t the only place that embraces bold color. In Spain, the village of Júzcar saw its homes turn blue because of advertising for the film “The Smurfs.” Residents liked the new look so much that they decided to keep it.

And in Argentina, Buenos Aires’s La Boca neighborhood began painting houses in the nineteenth century using leftover ship paint. Today, it’s one of the city’s most visited areas.

Burano’s kaleidoscopic homes are more than pretty facades — they’re part of the island’s story. Maybe those colors really did help fishermen find their way home once upon a time. Now they draw visitors from all over and give Burano its unmistakable identity. And perhaps, in time, more places will dare to go bright — the world still has plenty of corners waiting for a splash of color.