Venice came to life on spongy mudflats at the edge of the habitable
world. Protected in a tidal estuary from barbarian invaders and
Byzantine overlords, the fishermen, salt gatherers, and traders who
settled there crafted an amphibious way of life unlike anything the
Roman Empire had ever known. In an astonishing feat of narrative
history, James H. S. McGregor recreates this
world-turned-upside-down, with its waterways rather than roads, its
boats tethered alongside dwellings, and its livelihood harvested
from the sea.
McGregor begins with the river currents that poured into the
shallow Lagoon, carving channels in its bed and depositing islands
of silt. He then describes the imaginative responses of Venetians
to the demands and opportunities of this harsh
environment--transforming the channels into canals, reclaiming salt
marshes for the construction of massive churches, erecting a
thriving marketplace and stately palaces along the Grand Canal.
Through McGregor's eyes, we witness the flowering of Venice's
restless creativity in the elaborate mosaics of St. Mark's soaring
basilica, the expressive paintings in smaller neighborhood
churches, and the colorful religious festivals--but also in
theatrical productions, gambling casinos, and masked revelry, which
reveal the city's less pious and orderly face.
McGregor tells his unique history of Venice by drawing on a
crumbling, tide-threatened cityscape and a treasure-trove of art
that can still be seen in place today. The narrative follows both a
chronological and geographical organization, so that readers can
trace the city's evolution chapter by chapter and visitors can
explore it district by district on foot and by boat.
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