Author Description

"When Venice was both a center of Renaissance culture and a gathering place for news from around the world. Marin Sanudo tried to write everything down. He was the finest diarist of his time, with a keen eye for the everyday and the monumental alike. Venice, Cita Excelentissima offers a broad and engaging introduction to Sanudo's detailed observations of life in his beloved city and the world it knew." "This expertly edited and translated volume offers glimpses of Renaissance life in Venice at a spectacular time. Organized thematically, the selections offer a Venetian's viewpoint of the glories of high culture, the gritty reality and sparkling drama of daily life, the perils of diplomacy and war, and the high-risk ventures of voyages and commerce." "Here, the work of the Renaissance's most assiduous observer is finally given the accessibility it warrants and the merit it is due."--BOOK JACKET.