The mosaics of Torcello (north-east Venice)

This morning I take a series of vaporetti out to Torcello, an island in the north-east of the city. It is a long journey, and at each stop the tourists become fewer; at each change the boats become smaller. At Burano, a colourful residential island, just before Torcello and a far cry from the bustle of the city centre, we pick up the postman on his morning round of the outer islands.

The water isn't clear but a sort of teal colour, which has apparently been the case since Canaletto painted. In this vast lagoon outside the city, the water assumes a gelatinous quality, rippled by the breeze and sliced into two by our boat. When it catches the sunlight it is so, so inviting.

I finally arrive at the island of Torcello, where I follow a brick path alongside the canal. Boasting a population of sixty people, the entire island is beautifully quiet. All that can be heard is the distant sound of an accordion further along the path, and the heavenly sound of water lapping gently against the banks.

At the other end of the island is the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta. It was built in the seventh century under a Byzantine emperor and after various renovations reached its current size in the eleventh century. The entry price doesn't include the trip back to Burano when you realise you're carrying no cash.

Inside, there are two walls of astonishing mosaics, the power of which dwarf the cathedral's relatively small size. On the entrance wall is a depiction of Judgement Day, stratified into four distinct realms, and in each realm there are several detailed scenes. Blue-skinned demons with rugged wings fill one scene depicting hell, carrying the heads of doomed men. Higher up the wall, the scenes of heaven remain out of the viewer's reach.

At the other end of the cathedral, set into a semi-dome above the apse, is a stunning mosaic of the Madonna. The Virgin stands in stark indigo blue robes against a background of thousands of glistening golden tiles.

Refreshed by the tranquillity of this hot, scrubby island, I retrace my route back to the mainland. This afternoon, I have planned to visit an Armenian monastery on an island in the south-east of the city, but I have to be punctual, as only one boat per day will take visitors across.