- 2005 edition, 372 pages
- Published by Hodder & Stoughton / Hodder Headline
- Paperback, Format A
- Very good condition, minor tanning
A Sceptre Book. 'The air still smelled of charcoal when I arried in Venice three days after the fire..'
John Berendt arrived in February 1996 for a prolonged spell in the city that had captivated him on his first visit. His intention was simply to see it without the obscuing overlay of tourists, but he quickly realized that hs arrival had coincided with an extrordinary moment.
Using the fire that destroyed the Fenice Theatre as his starting point, Berendt takes us on a unique tour of the city and its inhabitants. It is a tour that few are privileged to enjoy. For behind the exquisite facade of the world's most beautiful historic isty, scandal, corruption and venality are rampant, and Berendt is a master at seeking them out.
Millionaire art collector Peggy Guggenheim, Ezra Pound's mistress Olga Rudge, Alistair and Romilly McApline, ars some of the high profile residents (or former residents); but no less fascinating are lesser-known eccentric Venetians such as Plant Man Adriano Delon, Massimo Donadon the Rat Man of Treviso, or Mario Moro - self-styled carbiniere, fireman, soldier or aiman, depending on the day of the week.
Perfectly poised to gain access to privated and unapproachable pople and persuade them to talk frankly, Berendt weaves an elegantly captivating narrative that is mischievious, witty and utterly compelling.
Product is in stock.
