Other cities have admirers, but Venice alone, they say, has lovers. But just what is it that makes both men and women fall so passionately in love with her, almost as if she was a living, breathing woman?
But is Venice the city of the Virgin Mary or is she the pagan Venus, rising miraculously out of the waves? Michelle Lovric, whose novels Carnevale and The Floating Book were both inspired by and set there, believes that Venice is the most feminine city in the world.听听She took Angela Robson on a tour of the place to discover more.
The Floating Book: A Novel of Venice is published by Regan Books