Book Review: Venice: A Travel Guide to Murano Glass, Carnival Masks, Gondolas, Lace, Paper & More

I've decided to put to use my love of reading by reviewing the books I read (for better or for worse).

Today we review:  Venice: A Travel Guide to Murano Glass, Carnival Masks, Gondolas, Lace, Paper & More by Laura Morelli.

                                                                

Rating: 9 out of 10.

Pros: Great information.  I learned a lot from this book.  I certainly feel that if I travel to Venice (which I hope to at some point) the information I learned will come in handy.   Even beyond art, I feel that I have a better understanding of Venice.  The book is very well written.

Cons: I don't think I have any complaints about this book, but I didn't give it a 10 because I can't list it among my all time favorite books; nor did I find it to be life changing or earth shattering.

I like reviewing travel books because there are a lot of garbage travel books out there.  Luckily, Laura Morelli's Venice guide is not one of them.

I actually learned more from this travel guide than I expected too.  The author obviously has a great knowledge of Art and Art History.  While I've spent much time thinking about the stories behind a painting, I never though much about the stories behind craft items such as lace or carnival masks.

The author gives a lot of advice that at least seems like it would be useful in regards to what to buy and how not to get ripped off.  I haven't been to Venice so I can't say for sure if I agree or not with this advice, but it seemed like the advice would be helpful.

Best of all, I felt I like when (and if) I do travel to Venice, I'll have a better understanding of Venice.  From avoiding tourist traps to finding out about the glass museum.  In particular, I liked the tips about avoiding offers for free rides (the cost of which will be high pressure sales).

Beyond the writing, I also enjoyed the pictures and a few of the pictures were excellent.