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Venice Books

Special-interest guidebooks

The Companion Guide to Venice
Hugh Honour
A typical chapter of the British scholar's erudite guide might include a neighborhood walking guide, a floor plan of a church or museum, and a discussion of every painting and sculpture in view.

Frommer's Born to Shop: Italy
(UK title: Suzy Gershman's Born to Shop Italy)
Suzy Gershman
The ultimate how-to book for the serious shopper in Italy, with a full chapter on Venice. It's surprisingly fun to read even if you aren't fond of shopping.

A Literary Companion to Venice
Ian Littlewood
The English author adds a literary dimension to seven Venetian walking tours by incorporating quotations from novelists, poets, essayists, reporters, and other observers. The resulting book is far livelier than you might expect.

The Palladio Guide
Caroline Constant
A complete catalog to the buildings of 16th Century architect Andrea Palladio. It includes descriptions, floor plans, and black-and-white photos of Palladio's buildings throughout the Veneto region.

Venice and Environs: Jewish Itineraries
Francesca Brandes (Editor)
You don't have to be Jewish to enjoy this beautifully printed paperback, which is jammed with historical information and photographs. Itineraries include the Venice area, Padua and central/southern Veneto, and Verona and central/north Veneto.

Italy for the Gourmet Traveler
Fred Plotkin
This wonderful 724-page guide to restaurants, bakeries, food shops, markets, vineyards, recipes, etc. has chapters on the Veneto and nearby regions.

Permanent Italians
Judi Culbertson and Tom Randall
An "illustrated, biographical guide to the cemeteries of Italy" with chapters on famous dead people in Venice churches and the island cemetery of San Michele.

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Venice Master Artisans
If you buy just one coffee-table book about Venice, make it this one. The large-format, 272-page book has 210 color photos and 30 profiles of artisans who use traditional techniques to make everything from glass to footwear to metal castings. (There's even an American-born gondola maker.)