Venetian Republic Nino Zoccali by Nino Zoccali 9781760872540, 9781911632085, 1760872547, 1911632086 instant download after payment.

My fascination with Venice goes back a long way. Many years ago, when I was just 21 and had completed a 12-month sabbatical in Southern Italy, I found myself on my way to London. I had a little time up my sleeve, so I asked my learned older cousin, Liliana Di Certo, for advice on what I thought would be a difficult question – where should my next stop in Italy be? I’d been to Rome and Milan several times, but hadn’t ventured far beyond these cities or the southern region of Calabria, the birthplace of my father. ‘Liliana, I only have a few days. Where do you think I should go: Florence or Venice?’
She didn’t hesitate. ‘Venice. You are going to Venice and I am going to organise it. In Florence, you have to line up to see the art. Yes, it’s amazing when you get in and see it, but in Venice, everything is art. There’s art inside and outside, everywhere you look. It’s one of the most unique places in the entire world and the barrier of water has preserved her history like nowhere else. You are going to Venice.’
And so my obsession with the floating city was born. Little did I know that Venice would continue to lure and inspire me for decades to come. Since my first visit as a wide-eyed Italo–Australian boy from Bunbury, Western Australia, I’ve built a career as an Italian chef and restaurateur, and returned frequently. Along the way I’ve also fostered a keen interest in art, music and history, and nowhere in the world are these more beautifully represented and nurtured than in Venice.