Mary McCarthy takes readers on a captivating journey to one of the world's most beloved citiesMary McCarthy brings her novelist's unerring eye to a book that blends art, politics, religion, music, and history to create a living portrait of the world's loveliest city.Like a painter capturing the city's essence on canvas, McCarthy uses words to create stunning visuals that bring both the old and new Venice to enchanting life. From her apartment overlooking the garden of a palazzo, McCarthy takes us into the museums and monasteries of this city of canals and gondolas, Machiavelli and Tintoretto. And she reveals some little-known facts: Venetians love pets, but prefer cats to dogs; during World War II, the Allies captured the city with a fleet of gondolas; and without Napoleon, Venice wouldn't be what it is today.  From the ancient roots of The Merchant of Venice's pound of flesh to the quotidian details of daily life, it's all here—the magnificent frescoes, the sublime music...