Synopses & Reviews
The mysterious allure of the ancient floating city of Venice is captured in this book of evocative photography and beguiling words of a diverse group of contemporary Venetophiles. The luminous photographs, in both color and black and white, compliment the intimate thoughts, memories, poems, and stories of notable contributors from the worlds of art, literature, design, cuisine, music, and filmmaking. Readers will want to listen to the silence of the canals and get lost in the ethereal mist of Piazza San Marco. Included are anecdotes and Venetian recollections from Woody Allen, Julie Christie, Diane Hales, Marcella Hazan, Erica Jong, Judith Martin, Linus Roache, and Nicolas Roeg.
Review
"This is a beautiful book on Venice by the many writers who have fallen in love with the city. The photographs are intoxicating.” —Erica Jong, author, Fear of Flying
Review
"If Venice is a dream state, then a new book about the city built on a lagoon is its vivid interpretation. Dream of Venice is a book full of visions. Some are reverential images captured by Charles Christopher, a copywriter-turned-photographer who spent two weeks there in 2011. Others are prose poetry from the likes of Frances Mayes, Peggy Guggenheim, Patricia Highsmith, Erica Jong, and Woody Allen." —J. Michael Welton, Huffington Post, Arts & Culture
Review
"These very original images remind me of the time I spent there far more movingly and personally than any perfect composition featuring a famous landmark, shot to death by guided tour groups. They capture the heart and sad reality of an extraordinary and unique city." —Nicolas Roeg, director
Review
"Dream of Venice is different from the usual Venice gift or souvenir book. For one thing, it won't leave bruises on your thighs when you read it . . . it's more like an iPad than a 1990s-vintage laptop. You can mail it to your Venice-loving best friend, mother, or long-distance paramour without spending more on postage than you did on the book." —Europe for Visitors, blog
Review
"You must have experienced and loved Venice to succeed in creating such a book . . . the result is, with this book you hold the keys to experiencing Venice with all five senses—and that's what Venetians love about his book." —Iris Loredana, blogger, A Garden in Venice
Review
“Dream of Venice, edited by Joann Locktov, contains none of the gondola shots we have seen a million times before . . . you can see the silence of the car-free city, breathe the characteristic mixture of wet building blocks and salty air, and feel the tiny pinpricks of moisture on your skin, just by looking at the pictures. It’s almost like being there." —Italian Notes, blog
Synopsis
Gianni Berengo Gardin began to shoot in 1954 and contributed to major magazines such as Il Mondo, Domus, Epoca, Le Figaro, L'Espresso, Time, and Stern. His pictures have been shown at hundreds of exhibitions in places like the MoMA in New York, the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, the Rencontres Internationales in Arles, and the Mois de la Photo in Paris. In 2008, he received the Lucie Award for lifetime achievement for his work as a photographer.
About the Author
A photographic portrait of the oldest coffeehouse in Italy. Caffe Florian in St. Mark's Square has always been the high-society "drawing room" of Venice. And Gianni Berengo Gardin, an adoptive Venetian, has always had close ties with the city where he began his career. This book is the result of his photographing a week in the life of the historic cafe which boasts habitues from the past such as Casanova and Byron. Berengo Gardin has sat in his usual discreet fashion on the plush small red divans in Florian's and captured around forty timeless moments from everyday life. The black-and-white images provide a wonderful insight into the reality of Florian's, which is about to celebrate three hundred years of glorious social life. In fact, the cafe was opened under the Procuratie Nuove by Floriano Francesconi in 1720. Now a major photographer has prepared a magnificent birthday gift for a place that has seen centuries of history.