The luminous photographs, in both colour and black and white, compliment the intimate thoughts, memories, poems, and stories of notable contributors from the worlds of art, literature, design, cuisine, music, and filmmaking. Readers will want to listen to the silence of the canals and get lost in the ethereal mist of Piazza San Marco.

Included are anecdotes and Venetian recollections from Woody Allen, Julie Christie, Diane Hales, Marcella Hazan, Erica Jong, Judith Martin, Linus Roache, and Nicolas Roeg.