I've never been to Venice; in fact, I've barely been to Italy. One day driving around Lake Como on an American Express tour bus in 1984 hardly counts as a visit to the country.
Thanks to mystery author Donna Leon, however, I now feel I know a little about living in a centuries-old city built on a lagoon. She's written 13 books about an Italian police commissario (a rank which seems equivalent to the British inspector or an American police lieutenant) who lives and works in the city center. There are only about 70,000 inhabitants, so it's a pretty small place by American standards, and its crimes are usually pretty mundane. Commissario Brunetti doesn't get involved in those; he focuses on murder.
I get a lot of enjoyment from reading books set in places I haven't been. Occasionally I even get an urge to go there to see them. In this case, Ms. Leon has collaborated with a Literature and Art History professor to conduct walking (and boating?) tours of Brunetti's Venice.
Now that sounds like fun.
Posted by Linkmeister at September 26, 2009 09:51 AM | TrackBackWow, that does sound like fun!
I agree with you. I love to read about places I haven't been, and one of the things I most enjoy about travelling is going to places that I've read about.
I'm going to add those books to my list.
Posted by: Juli Thompson at September 28, 2009 05:03 AMOf all the places I visited in Italy, it was Venice that captured my heart. It's worth the visit, but best if you can stay for a few weeks and live the "local" life...even if you go during Aqua Viva. When I win the lottery, I am so going to buy an apartment there.
Posted by: Karan at September 28, 2009 05:46 PMBrunetti mentions the high prices of apartments there; he also mentions the exhausting flights of stairs necessary to reach his own apartment.
I never thought of it before, but obviously if the buildings are built on a sinking foundation elevators aren't practical or even possible.
Posted by: Linkmeister at September 28, 2009 05:56 PMMost of the buildings there are at least 100 years old...probably much older than that and there are strict rules of "renovation" that require period appropriate changes. Except for those buildings that did rennovating before 1980 something....those are the few with elevators. Brunetti is right about stairs. My apartment was on the 4th floor and was a very steep and exhausting climb at the end of a day of hoofing around the city. Still...if only that lottery would come my way, I'd be an apartment owner in a minute!
Posted by: Karan at September 29, 2009 03:39 PM