Campo Assignment - Piazza Baldassare Galuppi

Today, we had the afternoon free to roam about Venice and discover it for ourselves. My roommates and I decided to take a vaporetto out to Murano, an island known for its glassmaking, and Burano, an island known for its lace. Since today’s assignment was to find and describe a campo (or a square where people can meet and spend time), we decided to explore these islands and find a campo. We found one, Piazza Baldassare Galuppi, in the middle of Burano.

 

Here's a typical picture of the colorful buildings on Burano.

Burano is a charming island located about 30 minutes (by vaporetto) from the main area of Venice. The Pinterest photos of brightly colored buildings labeled “Venice, Italy” are actually buildings on this island – though no one ever mentions on Pinterest that it takes so long to get there! The houses and buildings were originally painted so brightly because Burano is one of the northernmost islands of Venice and the inhabitants wanted their island to be visible to approaching boats. Nowadays, the houses are brightly colored to keep up with tradition – and to keep a sense of individuality. I expected to just see the brightly colored buildings in rows when I traveled to Burano, so I expected that this campo assignment would be very difficult. However, in Piazza Baldassare Galuppi I found a large church and a museum, both with very different architectural styles, placed alongside the normal bright buildings.

Piazza Baldassare Galuppi – located off of Calle Baldassare Galuppi in Burano

The church appears to have been built in a Gothic style. This is evident because it is not decorated much on the outside and is not particularly beautiful to the eye (especially when it is considered among the surrounding bright buildings). It towers over the campo, much like Gothic churches tower over the people inside.

Most of the windows of the church are thermal windows with three separate pieces in a semicircle.

The border where the wall meets the roof of the church – looks like dentilled molding.

Thermal window above a door to the church. The door has pilasters (rectangular pillars, slightly out from the wall) on either side. There is an entablature above the pilasters with a dentilled molding at the top and a decorated frieze (middle section).

Entrance to the current church alongside the Canonica, which appears to be a much older building. The Canonica is also in a Gothic style without much adornment. It has some corbels along the roofline for support.

The bell tower, or campanile, of the church. The campanile is built out of brick and looks different from the rest of the church, suggesting that they were built at different times. The campanile has some dentilled molding and appears to have three pilasters per side with an entablature at the top. Additionally, there is a triangular pediment near the top of the campanile.

Doors to the Burano Lace Museum, formerly known as the Scuolo del Merletto di Burano, located opposite the church. The arches above the doors appear to be stilted. I found it interesting that each of the three sets of doors has a slightly different shape.

All of the windows on the Lace Museum have ogee arches above them. This is in contrast to the Roman arches on the windows in the church, though the buildings are located just across the campo from each other. There is a decorative tondo located next to this particular window.

A religious tondo (circular decorative panel) on the side of a building on the campo

People, many of whom are parents and children, milling about on the campo. The building in the middle, background, is the Lace Museum. The building next door also has ogee arches on its second-floor windows.

One final view of a side of Piazza Baldassare Galuppi. Many people are relaxing on the square, and many children are playing.

This piazza was a surprising find in the middle of Burano. Because of Pinterest, Burano has become a coveted destination for many tourists wanting to take pictures of the brightly-colored buildings. Our vaporetto to Burano, the largest water bus we have taken yet, was absolutely full of people wanting to go see the buildings and purchase lace! However, these tourists were nowhere to be found in the campo. This campo was full of children playing and parents discussing life. Being in Piazza Baldassare Galuppi allowed me to spend time alongside normal Venetian families, which was completely unexpected. Normally, people think of Venice as being a touristy city, full of shops and different sights to take pictures of. However, being on Burano and spending some time in a campo allowed me to see what daily life is like for the citizens of this city. Life with children here is much like it is back home: the parents let the children wander and play within a safe distance while they talk to their neighbors and friends. This campo functions as a meeting place for the families of Burano; it allows the parents to communicate while the children play together. Though Burano is on the outskirts of Venice, I believe that what I saw can be applied to the city as a whole. The citizens of Venice do live like this every day. They like to spend time with friends as well as family, and spaces like the Piazza Baldassare Galuppi in Burano allow them to do both at the same time.