Venice is one of the great wonders of the medieval world. Through war and shrewd diplomacy, through thriving trade and a highly innovative shipbuilding industry, she maintained the title of "Queen of the Adriatic" and the most tranquil republic for five centuries. In the 18th century, the city became a glittering stage for European aristocratic travels (and also "Europe's red-light district"), until, unable to resist Napoleon's invasion, she became first the property of France, and then Austria. Yet, she never lost her allure, and throughout the 19th century, Byron, Shelley, Ruskin, Proust, George Eliot, Henry James, and countless generations of foreign visitors came to this ever-changing city. Descriptions of 20th-century Venice, and more recent efforts to save the city from pollution and flooding, keep this story relevant today.
Part narrative, part social history, and part guide book, this account traces the rise of Venice, and its history through the ages to the present day