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Venice: A Sketchbook Guide
A guide to the wonders of Venice, conveyed by means of an artist's sketchbook
Matthew Rice is a long-time observer and illustrator of cities, buildings and all those who inhabit them, with an uncanny ability to express the energy of a place through a few lines of ink and splashes of paint. For years, Venice has been a source of deep creative inspiration for him; and now, in Venice: A Sketchbook Guide, he captures the highlights of this most beguiling of Italian cities.
Unsurprisingly, given his abiding passion for architecture, Matthew provides a wealth of information about the 'stones' of Venice, including an illustrated guide to the main building styles of the city - Byzantine, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Modern - and exemplars of its balconies, bridges and campaniles. Further sections explore the city's sestieri - its six residential quarters - as well as its history, paintings, festivals, wildlife and, not least, its cicchetti and aperitivi.
Following the same landscape format as Matthew's real-life sketchbooks, Venice: A Sketchbook Guide will combine enchanting watercolour illustrations with an informed, personal and witty text, and promises to delight all visitors to Venice, armchair or actual.
Matthew Rice is a long-time observer and illustrator of cities, buildings and all those who inhabit them, with an uncanny ability to express the energy of a place through a few lines of ink and splashes of paint. For years, Venice has been a source of deep creative inspiration for him; and now, in Venice: A Sketchbook Guide, he captures the highlights of this most beguiling of Italian cities.
Unsurprisingly, given his abiding passion for architecture, Matthew provides a wealth of information about the 'stones' of Venice, including an illustrated guide to the main building styles of the city - Byzantine, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Modern - and exemplars of its balconies, bridges and campaniles. Further sections explore the city's sestieri - its six residential quarters - as well as its history, paintings, festivals, wildlife and, not least, its cicchetti and aperitivi.
Following the same landscape format as Matthew's real-life sketchbooks, Venice: A Sketchbook Guide will combine enchanting watercolour illustrations with an informed, personal and witty text, and promises to delight all visitors to Venice, armchair or actual.
- GenresTravelNonfictionArt
207 pages, Hardcover
Published May 5, 2022
2 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 3, 2023
Lovely illustrations to accompany a history and guide of Venice.
August 8, 2022
A love letter to Venice. Great.
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August 30, 2022A gorgeous, personable, and erudite little guidebook that's as lovingly written as it is illustrated. Now I want his Oxford, as well!
June 19, 2023
Just prior to a recent trip, I found this delightful book amongst several of the more usual glossy industrial-style guides to Venice, you know the Rough Planet top 10 things to do type things. It could easily be in Travel Writing or even poetry. It’s a gem! It’s like going round with an old friend. It’s not an encyclopaedic register of places (you can look them up elsewhere) but it involves the heart and tells you WHY YOU WANT TO BE THERE. The selections are thorough but it has a lovely casual quality. The drawings are free but carefully observed. It’s such a warm approachable book! And inspirational as well : as always packing a watercolour set from now on, I m also going to be proud of making IDIOSYNCRATIC CHOICES or spending pages on entertaining DIGRESSIONS.
May 21, 2022
Absolutely gorgeous. Some lovely pictures, and an informative, and insightful bit of accompanying prose.
If you love Venice (how could you not), or if you want a slightly more quirky guide to the sights and history of the city.
If you love Venice (how could you not), or if you want a slightly more quirky guide to the sights and history of the city.
April 17, 2025
Beautiful book - both a work of art and a tourist guide to Venice. It really is stunning to look at and is full of useful historical and visitor information.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews