books and films relating to Venice to read-watch before we go

There are other queries on here like this, plus I'm pretty sure there's a list pulled together by Rick's people. That said, I highly recommend the nonfiction book "City of Falling Angels."

I was surprised at how good Casanova (from 2005, with Heath Ledger) was.

As for books, if you are a member of Goodreads, you can search for books set in Venice. You can also just do a standard Intranet search; I came up with lots of lists such as this.

The Guido Brunetti mystery series by Donna Leon is set in Venice and is great! They are set in modern day Venice but deal with local issues as the writer lives there.

In the Company of the Courtesan, a novel by Sarah Dunant that is set in Renaissance Venice. I enjoyed her other novels, too. The Birth of Venus is set in Renaissance Florence and Blood and Beauty is a novel about the Borgias. Have fun preparing for your trip!

Movies---our favorite is Bread and Tulips, a sweet little movie in Italian with subtitles. Summertime with Kathryn Hepburn is a classic, and many fans like to visit the spot where she fell into the canal. A more contemporary movie is The Tourist, a thriller with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie.

For books, I love City of Falling angels by John Berendt. It is not a novel but a journalistic approach to modern Venice and current issues and controversies. Very entertaining as well as informative.

Then there are the Donna Leon mysteries! which are as much about Venice and family life as the mystery. We have read them all and I do not have a particular favorite. If you enjoy opera you could start with the first, Death at La Fenice.

These novels have been made into a series for German TV. You may be able to find them for streaming ( try "Commissario Brunetti series"). We bought the DVDs on Amazon. They are beautifully filmed and the casting is great.

My favorite line from "The Tourist": Let me get this straight, because I'm a little confused. You received money from a man you've never met before, who sends you text messages telling you just to show up somewhere?

The Englishman: [wistfully looking around Venice] Well, not JUST anywhere!

My favorite line from "The Tourist": Let me get this straight, because I'm a little confused. You received money from a man you've never met before, who sends you text messages telling you just to show up somewhere?

The Englishman: [wistfully looking around Venice] Well, not JUST anywhere!

Movie: Summertime with Katherine Hepburn, I think mid-fifties. Charming because Venice looks exactly the same. Books: No Vulgar Hotel by Judith Martin (Miss Manners) a very witty commentary on history, architecture and culture of Venice.

Hi Kathy, I really enjoyed a novel titled The Glassblower of Murano by Marina Fiorato which moves back and forth between ancient Venice's secretive trade of glassblowers and modern day Venice with a fictional family member returning to Venice centuries later and taking up family tradition of glassblowing. It really helped me understand the history of Venetian glass prior to our trip to Murano. I also enjoyed a biography "A Thousand Days in Venice" by American Isabella Dusi who meets and eventually marries an Italian gent and moves to Venice. I think that they eventually moved to Tuscany. Another vote for movie Bread and Tulips. Enjoy. Sherry

"A Thousand Days in Venice" and "The City of Falling Angels" are both very good.

Second Bread and Tulips. I think Italian for Beginners ends in Venice--it's a quirky little Danish movie. Also, Casino Royale ends in Venice and aren't they there in the Italian Job? Literary classics like Brideshead Revisited and Little Dorrit (you can watch the recent one with Claire Foy) have segments in Venice.

Heath Ledger + Casanova + Venice = A great experience and feast for the senses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSt1NFGgVUs

My two favorites are "Summertime" with Katherine Hepburn and "Bread and Tulips". Great chick-flicks but also amazing scenes of Venice.

Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck.

Nudo di Donna is set in Venezia during Carnevale, but I have heard it's difficult to find.

If It's Tuesday This Must Be Belgium has some nice scenes of Venice, along with several other cities. It's been on Netflix before; maybe it'll come back.

Thank you so much everyone for your kind suggestions!

Another enthusiastic vote for Marlena DeBlasi's "A Thousand Days in Venice." What a gorgeous book. And the added benefit of being true! Love, food, Venice, what more could you want??