Secret Venice

by Thomas Jonglez, Paola Zoffoli

Winner of the 2011 Independent Publisher Book Awards Gold Medal in the Travel Guidebooks category!

 

Discover the secrets of St. Mark’s Basilica with not a tourist in sight, finally crack the mystery of the pillars around the Doge’s Palace, take a trip on the only underground canal in Venice in search of the alchemical sculpture of the winged horse, lunch at a restaurant tucked away in a lagoon fisherman’s house, track down Teriaca, that miracle potion brewed in Venice from time immemorial, decode the paintings of the Scuola di San Rocco applying the principles of the Jewish Kabbalah and see how Kabbalistic music influenced the construction of San Francesco della Vigna, visit an unknown underground cemetery, stroll through unsuspected gardens beyond the gates of palazzos and monasteries, admire the extraordinary forgotten library of the Venice Seminary, sleep in a sublime bedroom concealed within a palazzo, go shopping in Giudecca women’s prison market, play petanque in the heart of the city, retreat to a wonderful lakeside monastery, away from the crowds…

 

Five years of research have gone into the compilation of this exceptional guide, an opportunity for all who love Venice, as well as Venetians themselves, to leave the beaten track far behind and rediscover the most extraordinary city in the world.

Genres: Travel, Italy, Nonfiction

399 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2010

Reviews

[Cristian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ricco di curiosità per chi vuol conoscere una Venezia più insolita e fare tour un po diversi. Utile e molto ben scritta, divisa per sestriere.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Provided a fresh view of Venice that stood out among books of famous paintings and architecture. Really interesting!

[Juan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Estos libros de Jonglez tienen su valor. Pero no como guías, y casi nunca para llevártelos a una primera visita a un sitio. Sin embargo, son excelentes cuando vas por segunda vez a un sitio, o simplemente para recordar los sitios donde has estado y que te han llamado la atención, pero no sabías situar porque, simplemente, no vienen en la guía Lonely Planet o la Wikipedia (que por cierto, es una guía turística excelente). Este libro me ha servido para titular diferentes imágenes que me traje de allí, como un corazón al lado del altar de San Marcos o unas estatuas de porfirio de cuatro mendas abrazándose, más o menos por la misma zona.
También tiene su gracia para preparar siguientes visitas. Porque Venecia es la bisagra de Europa y quizás del mundo y uno de los lugares con una geografía e historia más interesantes del planeta.
Si algo me sobra en el libro (y que tiene en común con el resto de la serie) es la morralla cabalística y esotérica que mete de vez en cuando. Que en su justo término está bien y te informa de los modelos mentales de la época en la que se hicieron o construyeron ciertas cosas, pero dos páginas enteras dedicadas a la cábala empachan un tanto…
En fin, para mi un buen libro, y un buen regalo de Fernand0.

[Bosquejo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es una guía muy curiosa y divertida. Resulta entretenida la manera de encontrar los lugares propuestos, me recordó al juego del geocache.

[Rich Meyrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

My plan was to flick through this book. I ended up reading it cover to cover. Fascinating!

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to flip through! Not a typical tour book, but definitely interesting if you’re looking for something off the beaten path in Venice.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was recommended by the Smithsonian "The Guide to Essential Italy," and it certainly was "OK" and even "OK+" but there wasn't a whole lot that seemed very "secret" after looking at a couple other guidebooks and the aforesaid "Guide to Essential Italy." Much of the "secrets" covered in the book were little bits and pieces of places and building of interest -- in other words, it might be a decent supplement but it shouldn't be the go-to guidebook. And I found the writing a bit breathless. Thus abandoned after reading the San Marco section and skimming most of the rest.