There is no lack of books about Venice. This one is not another guide, but rather a personal and very lively inside view of a bon vivant, art historian, author, musician, and world traveler. Alexis Gregory first went to Venice nearly 50 years ago, and has been back every year since to enjoy both the high society and the great richness of art and architecture. He evokes the great palaces of Venice; legendary personalities he knew well like Peggy Guggenheim, Lily Volpi and Arrigo Cipriani; and great Venetian figures of the past such as the mad Marchesa Casati, the Sapphic muse Princess Winnaretta de Polignac, and the spoiled Charles de Besteigui. Alexis Gregory has a sharp eye for detail, and things as banal as a tour down the Grand Canal on a vaporetto or an excursion to the lagoon and the Lido become an enchanting journey. The reader also gets essential information on the city's emblematic characters, places, and events such as San Marco, Casanova, the Film Festival, and the great plagues.