Venice, Fragile City: 1797-1997

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To the delight of visitors - and sometimes the dismay of residents - Venice is a city that has resisted modernization. Its canals, gondolas, and picturesque antique buildings appear little changed since the Renaissance. This illustrated volume reveals how Venice and the idea of Venice have evolved since the late-18th century. Margaret Plant presents a wide-ranging cultural history of the city from the fall of the Republic in 1797, until 1997, showing how it has changed and adapted and how perceptions of it have shaped its reality. The text charts the architectural and urban changes in the 19th and 20th centuries as demolition, rebuilding and landfill projects have altered the city. Conservation issues from the 1800s through to modern efforts to protect the city and lagoon against the sea - particularly in the wake of the disastrous flood of 1966 - are discussed. In addition, the work carefully examines the social restructuring of the city, from Napoleon's conquest and the years under French and Austrian control through the upheavals of the World Wars to the battles in recent decades against depopulation and the threats posed by the sea, industrial pollution,and mass tourism. Above all, Margaret Plant considers the history of Venice in the world imagination of the past two centuries. She explores the myths that surround the city - created by writers, artists, architects, musicians and filmmakers who have come to visit, and by the Venetians themselves (often overlooked) - alongside the realities of living and working in a sinking city.

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Margaret Plant is Professor Emeritus of History of Art, Monash University, Melbourne.