Best Books on Venice: Non-Fiction & Fiction

Venice, a city of timeless allure, has been a muse for countless authors who have sought to capture its enigmatic charm in their works. Whether it’s the city’s thousand-year-old history, its mesmerizing art and architecture, or the captivating tales that unfold within its labyrinthine canals, Venice has inspired a myriad of books that transport readers into its heart.

In this article, we delve into some of the best books on Venice, both fiction and non-fiction, that offer unique perspectives and narratives about this extraordinary city. Each book is a journey in itself, immersing you in the city’s past and present, its glory and decay, its reality and its myths.

So, let’s embark on this literary voyage and explore Venice as seen through the eyes of these remarkable authors.

Our Choices for Best Books on Venice (Non-Fiction)

While the list is far from exhaustive, here is our choice for the best non-fiction books set in Venice.

While you’re immersing yourself in these books, why not also explore the Top Museums and Galleries in Venice to further enrich your understanding of the city’s history and culture?

The City of Falling Angels (John Berendt, 2005)

Step into the enigmatic world of Venice with John Berendt’s The City of Falling Angels, a mesmerizing tale that captures the city’s thousand-year-old history, art, and architecture in a way only Berendt can.

The narrative unfolds with the catastrophic destruction of the historic Venice opera house, the Fenice, where five of Verdi’s operas premiered. This event sends shockwaves through the city and sets the stage for Berendt’s exploration of life in this unique museum-city. Arriving in Venice just three days after the fire, Berendt transforms into a detective, delving into the heart of the city and gradually unveiling the truth behind the fire.

The City of Falling Angels is more than just a book; it’s an immersive experience that transports you to the heart of Venice, a city of masks and riddles. As you navigate through its meandering passageways, you’ll feel the city’s architectural treasures crumbling, its foundations shifting, and its marble ornaments falling. Yet, amidst this decay, you’ll also witness the enduring efforts to preserve these treasures.

Don’t miss out on this captivating journey. Click on the link to grab your copy of The City of Falling Angels and lose yourself in the enchanting maze of Venice.

If you’re interested in the city’s architecture, you might want to explore the Oldest Buildings in Venice to appreciate the city’s historical charm.

The History of Venice (John Julius Norwich, 2013)

Immerse yourself in the captivating chronicle of one of the world’s most remarkable cities with John Julius Norwich’s A History of Venice. This classic work from the renowned historian, also known for A Short History of Byzantium, takes you on a riveting journey through the rise, glory, and fall of Venice.

From its humble beginnings in the fifth century to its unrivaled status as one of the world’s busiest and most powerful city-states for over a thousand years, A History of Venice is a testament to the city’s indomitable spirit and enduring allure. The narrative culminates with the city’s fall at the hands of Napoleon in 1797, marking the end of an era.

Norwich’s masterful storytelling is rich in historical detail, populated by extraordinary characters, and packed with a wealth of incident and intrigue. This is not just a history book; it’s a time machine that transports you back to the bustling canals and grand palazzos of Venice in its prime.

The Sunday Times praises Norwich for loving and understanding Venice as well as any other Englishman has ever done. The Financial Times predicts that A History of Venice will become the standard English work of Venetian history, a sentiment echoed by The Times.

Norwich’s gift of historical perspective, clarity, and wit shines through every page, making A History of Venice not just a great read, but a gripping journey through time. Don’t miss out on this fascinating voyage. Click on the link to grab your copy of A History of Venice and embark on an unforgettable journey through the annals of this extraordinary city.

Venice: A Literary Companion (Ian Littlewood, 2013)

Embark on a literary journey through the enchanting streets of Venice with Venice: A Literary Companion. This unique guidebook brings together the words of a diverse range of writers who have been drawn to the city’s allure, from the pious to the impious, the earnest to the frivolous, the enthusiastic to the hostile.

This isn’t your typical guidebook. It’s a time capsule that captures the essence of Venice through the ages, as seen through the eyes of literary giants like Byron, Casanova, Goethe, Ruskin, Henry James, Thomas Mann, D. H. Lawrence, and many others. Their words paint a vivid picture of the city, its streets, palaces, churches, canals, and squares, all of which have largely remained unchanged, adding to the city’s timeless appeal.

Venice: A Literary Companion is arranged as a series of detailed walks through the city, allowing you to step into the scenes of a Renaissance murder, an eighteenth-century seduction, or the canal-side home of a Victorian poet. It’s an extravagant theatre of history and culture, where every turn might lead you to a new discovery.

The Literary Review praises the book’s judicious selection of writings and the author’s own mellifluous prose, which ties the excerpts into a cogent whole. The Daily Express recommends it as the smart book to take if you’re going to Venice, while The London Magazine describes the author as an erudite but leisurely and good-humoured stroller, an agreeable, sometimes astringent presence throughout.

Don’t miss out on this unique literary voyage. Click on the link to grab your copy of Venice: A Literary Companion and let the city’s timeless charm unfold before you, page by page.

Venice Against the Sea: A City Besieged (John Keahey, 2002)

Dive into the gripping narrative of Venice Against the Sea: A City Besieged, a sobering exploration of the existential threat facing one of the world’s most enchanting cities. Venice is sinking, having descended six feet over the past 1,000 years. This isn’t just a natural geologic phenomenon; it’s a crisis exacerbated by human actions and climatic changes that are likely to persist beyond human control for centuries, if not millennia.

Award-winning journalist John Keahey takes you on a journey through the city’s past and present, explaining how the city and its 177 canals were built and what has led up to this long-foreseen crisis. He delves into the various options currently being considered for ‘solving’ this problem and chronicles the ongoing debate among scientists, engineers, and politicians about the pros and cons of each potential solution.

Venice Against the Sea is more than just a book; it’s a wake-up call to the world. It underscores the urgency of Venice’s plight and the need for decisive action. Venice’s art, its buildings, and its history are too important to the planet’s cultural identity to let it slip beneath the rising waters of the Adriatic.

This definitive book on Venice’s fascinating problem is a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of history, culture, climate change, and urban planning. Don’t miss out on this enlightening journey.

Click on the link to grab your copy of Venice Against the Sea: A City Besieged and delve into the urgent debate over the future of this extraordinary city.

Venice: Lion City: The Religion of Empire (Garry Wills, 2002)

Embark on a journey through the golden age of one of the world’s most captivating cities with Garry Wills’s Venice: Lion City: The Religion of Empire. This tour de force presents a rich, colorful, and provocative history of Venice in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, when it was at the peak of its glory. This was not the city of decadence and carnival familiar to us from later centuries, but a ruthless imperial city with a shrewd commercial base, akin to ancient Athens in its blend of art and sea empire.

Venice: Lion City offers a fresh perspective on the city’s history through its art, illuminating the art through the city’s history. It’s a visual feast, with more than 130 works of art, including 30 in full color. Wills provides a unique view of Venice’s rulers, merchants, clerics, laborers, Jews, and women, who together created a city that is the world’s greatest art museum, its allure undiminished after centuries.

Like Simon Schama’s The Embarrassment of Riches, which explores Dutch culture in the Golden Age, Venice: Lion City is set to become a classic work of history and criticism. Don’t miss out on this enlightening journey.

Click on the link to grab your copy of Venice: Lion City: The Religion of Empire and immerse yourself in the vibrant history and culture of this extraordinary city.

Venice, the Tourist Maze: A Cultural Critique of the World’s Most Touristed City ( Robert C. Davis and Garry R. Marvin, 2004)

Discover a new perspective on one of the world’s most visited cities with Venice, the Tourist Maze: A Cultural Critique of the World’s Most Touristed City. This engaging book offers a unique tour of tourism itself, taking you on a journey from the beginnings of Venetian tourism in the late Middle Ages to its emergence as a form of mass entertainment in our time.

Mary McCarthy once observed, ‘The tourist Venice is Venice,’ a sentiment that resonates with the fourteen million tourists who visit the city each year. Yet, this reality presents a stark contrast to the experiences of the 65,000 Venetians who call the city home. This book explores what happens when today’s ‘industrial tourism’ collides with an ancient and increasingly fragile culture.

Venice, the Tourist Maze gives equal consideration to those who tour Venice and those who live there, providing rare insight into what both the touring and the toured see, experience, and elicit from each other. It’s a thought-provoking exploration of the impacts and implications of mass tourism, set against the backdrop of a city renowned for its breathtaking beauty and rich history.

Don’t miss out on this enlightening journey. Click on the link to grab your copy of Venice, the Tourist Maze and delve into the complex interplay between tourism and culture in this extraordinary city.

A Venetian Affair: A True Tale of Forbidden Love in the 18th Century (Andrea Di Robilant, 2005)

Step back in time to the mid-1700s, the waning days of Venice’s glory, with A Venetian Affair: A True Tale of Forbidden Love in the 18th Century. This breathtaking narrative tells the unbelievable story of Andrea Memmo, scion of one of the city’s oldest patrician families, and Giustiniana Wynne, the beautiful, illegitimate daughter of a Venetian mother and British father.

Their passionate love story is one for the ages. Despite their dramatically different positions in society, twenty-four-year-old Andrea and sixteen-year-old Giustiniana fell deeply in love. But their love was forbidden, and their affair had to remain a secret. With the help of a few intimates and servants willing to risk their own positions, they exchanged passionate letters and arranged clandestine meetings.

When Giustiniana found herself pregnant, she turned to the infamous Casanova for help, adding another layer of intrigue to their already captivating story. Re-created in part from the passionate, clandestine letters Andrea and Giustiniana wrote to each other, A Venetian Affair is a testament to the enduring power of love against all odds.

Don’t miss out on this mesmerizing journey. Click on the link to grab your copy of A Venetian Affair and lose yourself in the passionate, forbidden love story of Andrea and Giustiniana.

Our Choices for Best Books on Venice (Fiction)

The Girl from Venice (Siobhan Daiko, 2023)

Immerse yourself in the gripping narrative of The Girl From Venice, an epic tale of love, betrayal, and self-discovery from award-winning author Siobhan Daiko. Set against the backdrop of World War II, this novel takes you on a journey through time, from the Venetian mountains to the present day.

In 1943, Lidia De Angelis is forced to flee Venice when the Germans occupy the city. She joins the partisans in the Venetian mountains, where she meets David, an English soldier fighting for the same cause. As their bond deepens, the harsh realities of war threaten to tear them apart.

Fast forward to the present day, where Charlotte, while sorting through her grandmother’s belongings, discovers a Jewish prayer book, unopened letters written in Italian, and a fading photograph of a group of young people in front of the Doge’s Palace. Intrigued by her grandmother’s refusal to talk about her time in Italy, Charlotte travels to Venice in search of her roots.

The Girl From Venice is a poignant exploration of the past and its impact on the present. As Charlotte uncovers the truth about her grandmother’s past, she also learns about her own. This mesmerizing tale is a testament to the enduring power of love and the human spirit in the face of adversity.

Don’t miss out on this captivating journey. Click on the link to grab your copy of The Girl From Venice and embark on an unforgettable journey through time and love.

Death in Venice: A Forbidden Love Story (Thomas Mann, 1912)

Dive into the haunting world of Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice: A Forbidden Love Story, a timeless masterpiece that explores the depths of human emotion and desire. Written in 1912, this novella remains Mann’s best-known work, captivating readers with its elegiac narrative and complex characters.

Death in Venice tells the story of Gustav Aschenbach, a successful and much-revered author known for his extraordinary control over his literary creations. While vacationing in Venice, Aschenbach finds himself overwhelmed by an all-consuming love for a beautiful young boy. As a deadly epidemic sweeps through the city, his attraction compels him to stay, sealing his fate in the process.

This novella is a poignant exploration of love, desire, and the human condition. As Aschenbach grapples with his feelings, readers are invited to reflect on the complexities of human emotion and the often unpredictable nature of desire.

Don’t miss out on this captivating journey. Click on the link to grab your copy of Death in Venice and immerse yourself in the haunting and beautiful world of Thomas Mann’s Venice.

Death at La Fenice: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery (Donna Leon, 2004)

Immerse yourself in the mysterious world of Venice with Death at La Fenice, a gripping crime novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat. In a city known more for its serene beauty and historic decay than violent crime, evil occasionally rears its head. When it does, it falls under the jurisdiction of Guido Brunetti, the suave, urbane vice-commissario of police and a genius at detection.

When Maestro Helmut Wellauer, a world-renowned conductor, dies painfully from cyanide poisoning during an intermission at La Fenice, all of Brunetti’s admirable abilities come into play. As the investigation unfolds, a chilling picture slowly begins to take shape—a detailed portrait of revenge painted with vivid strokes of hatred and shocking depravity.

Death at La Fenice is more than just a crime novel; it’s a masterful exploration of the human psyche and the lengths to which people will go for revenge. Brunetti’s dilemma will not be finding a murder suspect, but rather narrowing the choices down to one.

Don’t miss out on this captivating journey. Click on the link to grab your copy of Death at La Fenice and join Guido Brunetti as he navigates the murky waters of revenge, hatred, and depravity in the beautiful floating city of Venice.

The Glassblower of Murano (Marina Fiorato, 2009)

Step into the captivating world of The Glassblower of Murano, a mesmerizing tale that weaves together the past and the present in the enchanting city of Venice. In 1681, glassblowing is the lifeblood of the Republic, and Venetian mirrors are more precious than gold. The greatest of the artists, Corradino Manin, sells his methods and his soul to the Sun King, Louis XIV of France, to protect his secret daughter.

Fast forward to the present day, where Leonora Manin, a descendant of Corradino, leaves an unhappy life in London to begin anew as a glassblower in Venice. As she finds new life and love in her adoptive city, her fate becomes inextricably linked with that of her ancestor. The treacherous secrets of his life begin to come to light, casting a shadow over her newfound happiness.

The Glassblower of Murano is a poignant exploration of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of family ties. It’s a journey through time and self-discovery, set against the backdrop of one of the world’s most beautiful cities.

Don’t miss out on this captivating journey. Click on the link to grab your copy of The Glassblower of Murano and immerse yourself in the mesmerizing world of Venetian glassblowing and the timeless allure of Venice.

The Merchant of Venice (William Shakespeare, 1598)

Immerse yourself in the timeless world of Shakespeare with The Merchant of Venice, a captivating tale of love, prejudice, and the pursuit of justice. In this play, the path to marriage is fraught with danger. To win the heart of Portia, Bassanio must pass a test prescribed by her father’s will, choosing correctly among three caskets. Failure means he may never marry at all.

In their journey, Bassanio and Portia face a formidable adversary, the moneylender Shylock. Created by Shakespeare against a backdrop of widespread prejudice against Jews, Shylock is initially presented as a villain. Yet, his powerful expression of alienation and the hatred he faces often make him emerge as the hero in many productions.

Portia, remembered for her disguise as a lawyer and her eloquent plea for mercy, is one of Shakespeare’s most memorable characters. Her speech urging Shylock to show mercy that ‘droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven’ is one of the most famous in all of Shakespeare’s works.

Don’t miss out on this captivating journey. Click on the link to grab your copy of The Merchant of Venice and delve into the timeless world of Shakespeare, where love, prejudice, and justice intertwine in a compelling narrative that continues to resonate today.

Travel Guide Resources

If you’re planning a trip to Venice, don’t forget to check out our comprehensive Venice Travel Guide to help you navigate this enchanting city. And for those who are planning to stay in the city, our guide on Where to Stay in Venice can help you find the perfect accommodation to make your stay memorable.

Here are some additional resources you may find useful:

• 15 Beautiful Venice Churches and Cathedrals
• Venetian Foods and Drinks
• Venice Festivals, Events, and Traditions
• Venice on a Budget
• Top 10 Things to Do in Venice

As we close this literary journey through the enchanting city of Venice, we hope these books have offered you a unique perspective and deeper understanding of this timeless city. Each book is a testament to Venice’s enduring allure, capturing its history, culture, and the existential challenges it faces. But the story of Venice is far from complete. There are countless other narratives waiting to be discovered and shared. So, we invite you, our readers, to join the conversation.

Do you have a favorite book set in Venice that you’d like to recommend? Share your best Venice books in the comments below.