A brief history of Venice : a new history of the city and its people

In this colourful new history of Venice, Elizabeth Horodowich, one of the leading experts on Venice, tells the story of the place from its ancient origins, and its early days as a multicultural trading city where Christians, Jews and Muslims lived together at the crossroads between East and West. She explores the often overlooked role of Venice, alongside Florence and Rome, as one of the principal Renaissance capitals. Now, as the resident population falls and the number of tourists grows, as brash new advertisements disfigure the ancient buildings, she looks at the threat from the rising water level and the future of one of the great wonders of the world. "Venice grew out of the swamps of Italy and became one of the great mercantile and cultural centers of the world. Elizabeth Horodowich, one of the leading historians of the city, tells the whole story, showing that Venice, alongside Florence and Rome, was one of the great Renaissance capitals. The book will also investigate the history of Venice as a multicultural trading city where Christians, Jews, and Muslims lived together at the crossroads between East and West. The narrative runs all the way to the present to the current problems with the sinking island."--Publisher's description Investigates the history Venice from its humble beginnings in the swamps of Italy to its rise as a multicultural trading city where Christians, Jews, and Muslims lived together at a crossroads between East and West to the present-day problems with the sinking island, in a book by a leading historian. Original. A new history of the most fascinating city in the world.