Venetian Villas
Muraro, formerly director of the Soprintendenza ai Monumenti di Venezia, drew international attention to the Venetian villa through exhibits in the 1950s. With over 400 lavish color photographs by Martin, Venetian Villas continues that picture-and-caption approach. In introductory chapters, Muraro reviews the cultural and economic factors that fostered the building of villas on the Venetian-controlled mainland in the 16th century. The remainder of the hefty volume is a chronologically arranged, pictorial tour of 80 spectacular residences. The text is marred by a somewhat awkward translation and a lack of scholarly helps. Recommended only for libraries that can afford such Venetian luxury. Annette Melville, Bay Area Lib. & Information Sys., Oakland, Cal.Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.