San Francesco del Deserto

San Francesco del Deserto tickets: which one to buy

San Francesco del Deserto is a small island in the northern Venetian lagoon, a few minutes by boat beyond Burano, and it has no regular public water bus. That is the whole planning problem. Visitors either hire a water taxi or one of the small boats waiting at the Burano landing, agreeing the return time before setting off, or join one of the few lagoon tours that include the island. The friars still live here, and visits are guided by one of them at set times in the morning and afternoon;

there is no ticket, only a donation. The tour is usually in Italian with English offered when a friar is available. Silence is asked for on the island and dress should cover shoulders and knees. This is not a sight so much as a place of retreat that admits visitors for part of the day, and it rewards anyone prepared to approach it on those terms rather than as another stop after the glass shops of Murano.

Visiting San Francesco del Deserto: what to see

Tradition holds that Francis of Assisi landed here in 1220 on his way back from the Holy Land and that the birds of the island fell silent while he prayed. A community of friars was established within a few decades, abandoned the island when malaria made the lagoon unhealthy in the fifteenth century, and returned. The buildings are modest: a church much rebuilt, two cloisters, one of them with the older arcade, and a garden of cypresses and pines that give the island its outline across the water.

The friar leading the visit shows the spot associated with the saint's landing and a tree trunk kept under cover that is said to have grown from his staff. Beyond that, the interest is the setting itself: a silent green enclosure in the middle of the flat lagoon, with Burano's coloured houses and the bell tower of Torcello on the horizon and no sound but water birds.

San Francesco del Deserto opening hours and the best time to go

Visiting hours are limited to a few slots each morning and afternoon and the island is closed to visitors on Mondays; confirm the current times before hiring a boat, since the friars' timetable takes priority. Spring and autumn are the best seasons, with clear light over the lagoon and the mosquitoes of summer absent. Winter is cold and damp, and fog can stop small boats.

Combine the island with Burano and Torcello in a single day from Venice, taking the water bus to Burano and a boat across from there. Lunch on Burano or at one of the trattorias on Torcello works well either side of the visit. Allow about an hour on the island including the guided walk, plus the boat, and do not expect to find anything to buy or eat once you are there. Boatmen at Burano usually wait on the island during the visit, and the fare should be agreed for the round trip.