Museo del Merletto

The Burano Lace Museum traces Venetian lace from the sixteenth to the twentieth century in the former palace that housed the island's lace school from 1872 to 1970.

Why it matters

The collection includes more than two hundred examples of Venetian lace and documents a craft closely associated with Burano. The building's history as the Scuola dei Merletti connects the objects with generations of lace-makers and the organization of the island's textile tradition.

What to notice

The collection includes needle lace from different periods, together with drawings, documents, photographs, clothing and objects associated with the lace school. Its materials show how lace-making developed as both a skilled craft and an organized industry.

Context and history

The palace of the Podestà of Torcello housed the Burano Lace School from 1872 until it closed in 1970, when demand for handmade lace declined. In 1978, local institutions and the Andriana Marcello Foundation formed a consortium to revive the tradition and catalogue the school's archive. The palace was adapted as an exhibition space; the Lace Museum opened in 1981 and is now run by the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia.