The island of Burano in Italy may be tiny (current population: 4,000), but it is bursting with charm, culture — and color. With its rainbow-colored houses, the technicolor town is one of Italy's most visited and photographed locations.

Just a 40-minute boat ride from Venice, Burano is an old fishing village with a fishing tradition that date back to Roman times, according to Smithsonian Journeys. Burano actually consists of four individual islands, separated by narrow canals, which visitors can traverse using a series of picturesque foot bridges.

The island is also famous for its lace work. The women of the island have been experts at lace since the 1400s, whenLeonardo da Vinci shopped in the island for cloth that he used on the altar at the Duomo di Milano, according to Huffington Post. Today, there are several shops where beautiful lace cloths can be bought, and the "Museo del Merlotto" or Lace Museum is located by the town square. The island also has its own leaning tower, the bell tower of the 15th-century San Martino Church.

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But the island is perhaps most widely known for its brightly colored houses, which follow a special color pattern, dating to the island's "golden age" when it was first becoming developed, according to the Huffington Post. If property owners wish to paint their buildings (or even just want to change the current color), they must request permission — and a selection of permissible paint colors — from the government.

Fishermen from the island first started painting their houses in vibrant hues to see them in fog or from a long distance when they return from sea, according to the official tourism site for the island. Many local guides, however, say that houses were painted colorfully so that drunk sailors will recognize their houses as they came home after a long night of drinking.

Burano's houses today are mainly squared-shaped and divided into two or three floors. But the first houses were actually built on stilts, with walls made of woven canes and plaster, according to IsoladiBurano.it. Some scholars believe that Burano was originally situated nearest the sea and that its inhabitants had to move because of the strong tidal waves. Some scholars have disputed this, however.

Visitors taking the vaporetto (water bus) to Burano can also enjoy scenic views of the cemetery island of San Michele, Murano, Torcello, and small islands in the Venitian lagoon.

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