The Most Serene Republic of Venice was the most extraordinary and the longest surviving of the European city states. Having emerged in the early Middle Ages on the margins of the Adriatic lagoon, its glory represents man's collective genius for building triumphant order out of what was once a marshy, reed-choked wilderness. Fortuitously positioned, Venice stood at the crossroads of the trade routes to the East; its ascendancy inextricably linked to the republic's supremacy as a maritime power. The centre of an extensive maritime and Terraferma empire, Venice imported Oriental and then classical artistic influences. These combined with the city's difficult topography, changing light, reflective waters and peculiar government to create a metropolis that was unique in both its architecture and urban form.
As the first truly comprehensive history of Venetian architecture, 'Venice: The City And Its Architecture' advances on all previous accounts of the subject in its depth and scope. By abandoning the chronological approach of earlier histories, it encompasses the diverse and manifold influences that have affected the city's development.
This book charts the metamorphosis of Venice from its meagre origins, as a number of small scattered hamlets, into one of the wealthiest cities in the world. By focusing on a particular nuclei of the city, all of its contrasts are explored - from the political and religious heart of San Marco to the bustling mercantile centre of the Rialto and the Jewish Ghetto. Descriptions of individual building types are equally far-reaching, and 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.
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.
