Excerpts from the book

INTRODUCTION
In the sixth century, waves of barbarians devastated
Italy and eventually gained control of the Western
Roman Empire. Just beyond their grasp on the edge of the habitable world--some would say beyond the
edge—Venice came to life in the shelter of its Lagoon. Divided from the sea and its Byzantine masters by a long barrier island, and separated from the mainland of Italy by a tract of shallow water, Venice found security in its tidal estuary. Safely out of reach of potential overlords on both sides, the Venetians crafted a way of life perfectly suited to their strange environment...read more

Excerpt from Chapter 2:
ST MARK'S BASILICA
Together with the Doge’s Palace to which it was physically and symbolically attached, St. Mark’s Basilica was the force that drew the island fragments of primitive Venice into a unified city. During the three centuries required for its completion, the city evolved from a sheltered refuge in an alien environment to a center of commerce and power...read more

Excerpt from Chapter 5:
EVANGELISM ON THE NORTHERN RIM
Located far to the north in the sestiere of Cannaregio, the large Gothic church of Madonna dell’Orto is very similar in style to the Frari. (Map 5) But unlike the Frari’s stark brick exterior, the façade of Madonna dell’Orto is the most richly decorated among all of Venice’s Gothic churches. Construction, which began sometime in the fourteenth century, was sponsored by a mendicant order called the Humiliati. Through mismanagement and scandal, the order fell into such general disrepute that they were replaced by a community of priests called canons in the fifteenth century...read more