An artistic stroll in and out of hidden corners, alleyways, and wine bars

It is neither an essay nor a guidebook,
but a series of fascinating insights
into the past and present of a unique city.

An unusual and magical Venice,
narrated through memories and life stories.
A personal invitation to lose yourself between
the calli and campielli, following in the footsteps
of the great visitors from a glorious past.

In Seven Days in Venice: An artistic stroll in and out of hidden corners, alleyways, and wine bars, Donà dalle Rose accompanies us through his city while regaling us with impressions and thoughts, titbits and anecdotes. A journey with no beginning nor end, bringing together extraordinary people revealed in a new light. Not a guide, nor an essay but an elightened flânerie with maps, drawings, and historical notes to help illuminate the way. A short, meandering journey of seven days through the typical wine bars and small squares of Venice on the trail of personal memories that intertwine with those of illustrious foreigners who visited and lived in the city. From Rousseau, Shakespeare, and Wagner in the Cannaregio district to Stravinsky, Foscolo, and Dante in Castello. From Turner, Ezra Pound, and Brodsky in Dorsoduro to Titian, Tintoretto, and Proust in San Polo. From Lorenzo Lotto, Nietzsche, and Monet in Santa Croce to Casanova, D’Annunzio, and Henry James in San Marco. From Byron, Hugo Pratt, and Thomas Mann in Lido to Stalin and Churchill cruising between the islands of the lagoon. And the list goes on. Strolls on land and trails through water that reveal the identity of a city that, unlike many others, is the sum of those who have lived it, loved it, hated it. A city so unique in the world in that it encapsulates all places while at the same time is nothing like any of them. Because Venice is many very different things, but it is not simply a “place”. It is more like a state of being, that somewhere you find yourself in, maybe even without having had a reason to go. Here, Donà dalle Rose gives you every reason to do just that, to go to Venice.

Gianmaria Donà dalle Rose comes from an ancient and aristocratic Venetian family that produced three Doges of La Serenissima, the Republic of Venice. From 1981 to 1994 he held management positions at Procter & Gamble, McKinsey, and Gruppo Rizzoli Corriere della Sera. Since 1995 he has worked for Twentieth Century Fox as President and Managing Director of Fox Italy and Spain, and since June 2017 he has also been President of the IVF (International Film and Video Federation). He is passionate about Venice and enjoys researching its history. His first book L’ Antipapa veneziano, vita del doge Leonardo Donà (Milan: Giunti, 2019) was about his ancestor, the doge Leonardo Donà.

Series Solitudini
Translation Vanessa Cockman
Pages 280
Paperback 12 x 20 cm
ISBN 9788896986547
Published November 2022