Venice: Art and History

This beautiful book about Venice is published by the Italian publishing house Bonechi, which specialises in picture books in large format about famous places around the world. It is a volume in the popular series called “Art and History.”

Books from Bonechi are published in several languages. I have used an English edition published a few years ago.

Some 55 pages - almost one third of the book - are used to present Piazza San Marco, the adjoining Piazzetta, and the buildings surrounding these two squares, including:

** Basilica San Marco
** The Clock Tower
** Procuratie Vecchie & Nuove

** The Campanile
** Sansovino’s Loggetta
** Libreria Marciana

**The Palace of the Doges
** The Bridge of Sighs (leading to the prison)
** Riva degli Schiavoni (the promenade east of the piazza with the famous Hotel Danieli)

These are some of the most famous and most impressive buildings in Venice. It is only fitting that they are given a prominent place in the book.

The four copper horses, which are placed on the façade of the Basilica San Marco, are modern copies (page 28). Today the originals are placed inside the basilica to protect them from bad weather and pollution (page 46). The horses were transported from Constantinople to Venice following the fourth crusade in 1204. For more information see The Horses of St. Mark’s by Charles Freeman.

The red porphyry statue of the four Roman emperors – also known as the tetrarchs – is placed by the Porta della Carta, between the Basilica San Marco and the Palace of the Doges. Like the four bronze horses mentioned above, this statue was transported to Venice following the fourth crusade in 1204. There is a picture of this charming monument on page 5.

The next section covers the Grand Canal and the palaces facing this canal as well as the famous bridge across it, Ponte Rialto.

At the end of the book there is a long section about museums and galleries followed by a short section about three small islands: Murano (famous for its glass factories), Burano and Torcello.

On pages 172-173 there is a map of the city. No scale is indicated, but the map is big enough to show individual buildings.

It is always good to have a map. But even when you have a map, you are probably going to get lost at least once when you are walking around in Venice. Getting lost in Venice is part of the pleasure of visiting the city. While you are lost, you will see something you did not plan to see, perhaps something interesting, perhaps something beautiful, perhaps both.

The text is clear and concise, as it should be in a picture book. There are 260 colour illustrations; all of them in high quality. Some pictures present the grand view, while others present a significant detail. Some pictures show the exterior of a building, while others show the interior. It is a pleasure to read the text and study the pictures.

The publisher has a special fold-out system, which means that one picture can cover three whole pages. This system is used to present a photo of the Pala d’Oro (pages 36ff.), a painting of the regatta (pages 94ff.), and a painting which shows the legend of St. Orsola (pages 152ff.).

All the highlights of Venice are here, including a brief history of the famous boat, the gondola, on page 137. I miss only one item:

Isola di San Michele, the Island of San Michele - located between the northern city line (Fondamenta Nuove) and the Island of Murano - is not mentioned in the text, and there are no pictures from this place. This small island is the local cemetery, and therefore it has a very different atmosphere. It is a shame it is not covered in this book.

For more information about this place see my blog: The Island of San Michele.

Venice is an extraordinary place, there is almost nothing like it in the whole world. If you have never been there, you may still enjoy this book. The text gives you basic information, and the pictures are splendid. When you look at them, you may be able to understand why this city is visited by so many people every year.

If you have been there, I am sure you will appreciate this book as a valuable souvenir from one of the most fascinating places in the world.

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Art and History of Venice, 
Bonechi, 2001, reprinted in 2009, 174 pages

 

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