The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt

In his usual journalistic style (Midnight in the Garden of Good an Evil), Berendt gives us a back door view of contemporary Venice. A recent National Geographic article referred to the fact that the real population of Venice is dwindling as it becomes more of a tourist destination than a livable city. Add to that reality, a shadow of corruption and all the challenges of living in 17th century architecture. His story begins with the 1996 fire that destroyed the Fenice Opera House. As he researches the cause of the fire as well as the campaign to rebuild, there is a lot of name dropping and considerable attention paid to important individuals who called Venice home like Ezra Pound. If you have ever been to Venice, it is such a step back in time. It is hard to think about anything but winding strolls over medieval bridges to gilded squares - but that is not the Venice here.