San Francesco del Deserto

San Francesco del Deserto is a small island of cypresses between Burano and Sant'Erasmo, occupied by a Franciscan community that has been there, with interruptions, for eight hundred years.

The tradition is that St Francis of Assisi landed here in 1220, sheltering on the way back from Egypt and the Holy Land. The island has been Franciscan ever since.

There is no vaporetto, no ticket office and no shop. You arrive by private boat, a friar shows you the cloisters and the garden, and you leave. It is the quietest place in the Venetian lagoon.

This is a functioning religious community of a handful of friars, not a museum. The single most important thing is to arrange the visit properly and keep to the arrangement.

Keep quiet, stay with the friar guiding you, and do not wander into the enclosure or the living quarters.

There is no charge; leave an offering, which is what maintains the island.

Do not bring food, do not picnic, and take everything away with you -- there are no facilities of any kind.

The surrounding salt marsh is fragile and eroding. Ask your boatman to approach slowly; wash from private boats is one of the lagoon's real problems.

There is no public boat. You reach the island by water taxi or by arranging a private boat from Burano, which is a few minutes away; some operators run a shared service.

Visits must be arranged in advance with the friary, and are guided by a friar. There is no admission charge -- an offering is customary.

Hours are limited and the island closes on Mondays and for religious observances. Check before arranging a boat; arriving unannounced is not the way this works.

Allow around an hour on the island, plus the crossing.

Dress and behave as you would in any religious house: modest clothing, quiet, and no photography where asked. This is somebody's home and place of prayer, not an attraction.