Venice, the city and its architecture

Description

"This book charts the metamorphosis of Venice from its meagre origins, as a number of small scattered settlements of hamlets, into one of the wealthiest cities in the world. By focusing on particular nuclei of the city, all its contrasts are explored; these centres range from the political and religious heart of San Marco to the bustling mercantile centre of the Rialto and the Jewish Ghetto, with its distinctive cultural life. Descriptions of individual building types are equally far-reaching, including Scuole Grandi and Piccole, palaces of power and prestige and post-Imperial constructions. The section on the city's housing encompasses fishermen's cottages as a counterpoint to the exuberant palazzi that shimmer on the Grand Canal; the coverage of churches extends from simple early Christian basilicas to Andrea Palladio's masterpieces and the white marble Baroque triumph of Baldassare Longhena's Santa Maria della Salute." "Venice has always had a unique charm and over the ages its buildings and urban fabric have inspired countless writers and artists, including the poet Dante, the writer Ruskin and the painter Canaletto. The visual wealth of the city is reflected in the book's extensive illustrations, in which new colour photographs are combined with historical plans and paintings. Contemporary maps and drawings provide a fresh insight into the city's evolution, while paintings by the Venetian masters such as Carpaccio and Bellini provide both a lyricism and vital detail."--Jacket.

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