Trono d'Attila

Murano, Burano & the Northern Islands


This 5th-century marble throne is said to have been used by Attila the Hun when his horde swept south, terrorising the Roman city of Altino. In fact, the Huns never reached Torcello and the throne was the seat of the magister militum, the military governor of the island, used when administering justice.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Murano, Burano & the Northern Islands attractions

1. Museo di Torcello

0.01 MILES

Occupying two buildings across the square from the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta, this museum is dedicated to Torcello’s venerable history. The main…

2. Chiesa di Santa Fosca

0.02 MILES

Literally overshadowed by Torcello's famous basilica, to which it's connected by a colonnaded walkway, this interesting round Byzantine-style church dates…

3. Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta

0.04 MILES

Life choices are presented in no uncertain terms in the dazzling mosaics of the Assumption Basilica. Look ahead to a golden afterlife amid saints and a…

4. Torcello

0.04 MILES

Torcello, the republic's original island settlement, was largely abandoned due to malaria and now counts only around 14 permanent residents. Its mosaic…

5. Burano

0.88 MILES

Burano, with its cheery pastel-coloured houses, is renowned for its handmade lace, which once graced the decolletage and ruffs of European aristocracy…

6. Museo del Merletto

0.94 MILES

Burano's Lace Museum tells the story of a craft that cut across social boundaries, endured for centuries and evoked the epitome of sophistication reached…

7. Chiesa di San Martino

0.97 MILES

Sixteenth-century St Martin's Church, with its worryingly wonky 53m-high campanile (bell tower), is worth a peek for Giambattista Tiepolo’s 1725 La…

8. Chiesa di Santa Caterina

1.17 MILES

Mazzorbo's late 13th-century Romanesque St Catherine's Church is the only one of the island's 10 medieval churches to survive. Call in to see its wooden…