The Rough Guide to Venice & the Veneto

by Jonathan Buckley

Long established, The Rough Guide to Venice & the Veneto is the most thorough and reliable guide to the city and its surroundings. With stunning photography to inspire you, in-depth coverage to guide you and clear maps to steer you, this guide will ensure you make the most of your time in Venice, whether you want to visit the big name sights of the Basilica di San Marco and the Palazzo Ducale, escape the crowds in one of the city's off-beat districts, or take a day-trip to the magnificent city of Verona.

Fascinating stories illuminate the city's history, while on-the-pulse features on everything from cruise ship controversies and flood barrier scandals to the travail's of the city's football team tell you more about the city today than any other guidebook. Insider reviews reveal the best places to eat, drink and sleep with something for every budget, whether you plan to stay in luxury near the Piazza, picnic along the Sant'Elena waterfront, or enjoy the buzzing bars in Dorsoduro.

Genres: Travel, Italy, Nonfiction, Italian Literature

376 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Jonathan Buckley was born in Birmingham, grew up in Dudley, and studied English Literature at Sussex University, where he stayed on to take an MA. From there he moved to King’s College, London, where he researched the work of the Scottish poet/artist Ian Hamilton Finlay. After working as a university tutor, stage hand, maker of theatrical sets and props, bookshop manager, decorator and builder, he was commissioned in 1987 to write the Rough Guide to Venice & the Veneto.

He went on to become an editorial director at Rough Guides, and to write further guidebooks on Tuscany & Umbria and Florence, as well as contributing to the Rough Guide to Classical Music and Rough Guide to Opera.

His first novel, The Biography of Thomas Lang, was published by Fourth Estate in 1997. It was followed by Xerxes (1999), Ghost MacIndoe (2001), Invisible (2004), So He Takes The Dog (2006), Contact (2010) and Telescope (2011). His eighth novel, Nostalgia, was published in 2013.

From 2003 to 2005 he held a Royal Literary Fund fellowship at the University of Sussex, and from 2007 to 2011 was an Advisory Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund, for whom he convenes a reading group in Brighton.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

This didn't float my boat. (See what I did there? Venice... boats...) The travel tips and some of the Italian vocabulary helped me, but this guide better serves as a reference for history connoisseurs than for casual tourists. Forgive me, book lovers, but I found the Internet more useful, especially a few excellent smartphone apps.

[Sally Edsall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really comprehensive

[Jack · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book lacks useful practical information. For example, the section on the Basilica of Saint Mark devotes several pages to the history of the place but doesn't mention that if you are a woman you need to buy shawls to cover your legs and shoulders. Not a big deal, but this is repeated throughout the book and my partner and I kept encountering situations where we thought 'why on Earth didn't the guide book mention this?'

Carrying and looking at the book became a waste of time and energy. This a shame as previous Rough Guides for other places have been very good.

[Charlie' (MyBooksAreCorrupted) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have already been to Venice once, but the holiday was all planned for me. So I really want to go back again, and this book really helped me to plan the holiday for myself. It told me some of the best places to go, as well as the history of Venice and the attractions.

[Leila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining with good information. I did like the maps and all of the information on accommodation and eateries but I would have preferred something more than historical information regarding the attractions. For me this was a good start but I want to do more research.

[Alohatiki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had the best maps of the guidebooks I looked at.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

my favorite part of this guide book is the souvenir guide!

[Stephen Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and entertaining!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Lamadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mostly picked this one because of the large amount of information on the Veneto region, and not just Venice like most of the other brands. It even included Asolo, which I wanted to visit.