Venice Is a Fish: A Sensual Guide

One of Italy’s brightest literary lights reinvents travel writing with a seductive, intoxicating celebration of the magical saltwater city

“Venice is a fish,” writes Tiziano Scarpa. “It’s like a vast sole stretched out against the deep. How did this marvelous beast make its way up the Adriatic and fetch up here, of all places?” Paying homage to his native city in a lyrical and evocative style, he guides readers down tiny alleys, over bridges, and through squares, daring us to lose ourselves, forget the guidebooks, and experience Venice as Venetians do.

Venice Is a Fish provides no hotel ratings or museum hours. Instead, in a delightful initiation, Scarpa tells us how to balance while standing on a gondola; where lovers will find the best secret hiding places; the finer points of etiquette and navigation during an agua alta; and how best to defend ourselves from the pitiless beauty of one of the world’s most stimulating cities. Open Venice Is a Fish, and Scarpa’s magnificent images, secret history, and hidden lore unfold like a treasure map of the senses.

Tiziano Scarpa was born in Venice in 1963. He is a poet, playwright, and essayist, and won the Italia Prize in 1997 for his writing. He has written a number of acclaimed novels, including Eyes on the Broiler and Stabat Mater, which was awarded Italy’s most prestigious literary honor, the Strega Prize. His radio play Popcorn received international critical acclaim and aired on the BBC and other European radio stations. Scarpa regularly speaks at creative writing conferences and writes as a journalist for national newspapers. He lives in Venice.