VENICE REVEALED
An Intimate Portrait
Written by Paolo Barbaro
Translated by Tami Calliope
Steerforth Press, 2001 (English Edition)

Paolo Barbaro goes home to Venice. After years away from his island, he finds "everything and nothing has changed."
Barbaro gives the reader a glimpse of Venice from a Venetian point of view. We see the changes he sees. We feel his sadness over some & happiness over others. And we share his hopes for the future of these fragile islands, collectively called Venice.

Arriving with family and belongings on overloaded boats, Barbaro remarks that "never before had it seemed so much an island." So begins his new life after residing for years in more "earthbound places."

The author's descriptions of living in Venice paint a picture far different from the tourist's. We follow him going to work on the "vaporetto" (water bus). Dealing with the "aqua alta" (high water). Frequenting his local "osterias" (taverns). Watching young children play in their "campos" (squares). And walking on various "calli" (traffic-free streets for pedestrians) to visit friends and shop.

But this is not another "AYear in Provence" type of book. It's deeper in its scope & more thought provoking. Yet at the same time, it's a very enjoyable read.

Barbaro's innate feelings for his island come through best when he describes Venice's natural elements: The colors of the sky, unlike anywhere else. The limpid waters of the canals & their reflections. And the ever present rain of November. Even what's not there is expressed eloquently. Like the "sound" of total emptiness in a "campo" at night, as Venice closes her shutters and turns inward against the world.

Less romantic & more unsettling is Barbaro's concern for the habitability of Venice for today's generation. He reminds us that residents are leaving at an alarming rate. It's becoming an island of tourists, being too expensive for Venetians to live in. Barbaro wrestles with what to do. But though he feels Venice is fragile, he also sees it as resilient. He is quick to observe, however, that the balance is becoming more precarious & issues need to be addressed.

You'll get a lot more out of "Venice Revealed" if you read it after you've been there. Barbaro's words are much more meaningful after shedding Venice as a tourist. After your first time around. Of course we'll never understand Venice the way he does (unless you're Venetian, of course). But you'll be thankful for what this book offers anyway...a little more insight into this complex island. And we bet it makes you want to go back there again!

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