Venice from the Ground Up

About this book

Venice came to life on spongy mudflats at the edge of the habitable world. Protected in a tidal estuary from barbarian invaders and Byzantine overlords the fishermen salt gatherers and traders who settled there crafted an amphibious way of life unlike anything the Roman Empire had ever known. In an astonishing feat of narrative history James H. S. McGregor recreates this world-turned-upside-down with its waterways rather than roads its boats tethered alongside dwellings and its livelihood harvested from the sea. McGregor begins with the river currents that poured into the shallow Lagoon carving channels in its bed and depositing islands of silt. He then describes the imaginative responses of Venetians to the demands and opportunities of this harsh environmenttransforming the channels into canals reclaiming salt marshes for the construction of massive churches erecting a thriving marketplace and stately palaces along the Grand Canal. Through McGregors eyes we witness the flowering of Venices restless creativity in the elaborate mosaics of St. Marks soaring basilica the expressive paintings in smaller neighborhood churches and the colorful religious festivalsbut also in theatrical productions gambling casinos and masked revelry which reveal the citys less pious and orderly face. McGregor tells his unique history of Venice by drawing on a crumbling tide-threatened cityscape and a treasure-trove of art that can still be seen in place today. The narrative follows both a chronological and geographical organization so that readers can trace the citys evolution chapter by chapter and visitors can explore it district by district on foot and by boat.