A comprehensive Venetian
reading-list would run on
for dozens of pages, and
would include a vast
number of out-of-print
titles. Most of our
recommendations are in
print, and those that
aren't shouldn't be too
difficult to track down.
Wherever a book is in
print, the UK publisher is
given first in each
listing, followed by the
publisher in the US -
unless the title is
available in one country
only, in which case we
have specified which
country, or is published
by the same company in
both territories, in which
case only the publisher is
specified.
Fiction
Italo Calvino , Invisible
Cities (Minerva; Harcourt,
Brace). Characteristically
subtle variations on the
idea of the City,
presented in the form of
tales told by Marco Polo
to Kublai Khan. No
explicit reference to
Venice until well past...
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Art and architecture
James S. Ackerman ,
Palladio (Penguin;
Viking). Concise
introduction to the life,
works and cultural
background of the Veneto's
greatest architect.
Especially useful if
you're visiting Vicenza or
any of the villas.
Svetlana...
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History
Fernand Braudel , The
Mediterranean in the Age
of Philip II (University
of California). Vast,
magisterial analysis of
the economics and politics
of the Mediterranean in
the second half of the
sixteenth century, with
Venice rarely off the...
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A Venetian miscellany
Pietro Aretino , Selected
Letters (Penguin, o/p).
Edited highlights from the
voluminous correspondence
of a man who could be
described as the world's
first professional
journalist. Recipients
include Titian,
Michelangelo, Charles
V,...
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more >>