No, this is not a site about cities that have been purely imagined, it's a site about how imagination spices up our ideas of real cities and contributes to our mental maps. We all have our favourite places and like to read novels about them.  I love London, Venice and Florence and so I made this site, with its lists and reviews of all sorts of fiction set in these three cities. Berlin is a later and tentative addition. Each city now also has its share of indulgent side pages dealing with, for example, London's cakes and Venice's cats.

I've also been writing trip reports as a service to travellers who share my major obsessions - cats, cakes, ice cream, and churches.

The most recent were Venice in 2011,  
Boston & New York in 2012 and Florence in 2012 .
 

In case you're curious, this is Me and my other site is...



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This site now has its own Facebook page...
Friends of Fictional Cities and the Churches of Venice
Click on the link and Like the page for regular news updates.

And if you want to buy any of the books mentioned go HERE
 

click on the word NEWS above for more news (with photos!)

12.5.2012
Christobel and Donna duly read, enjoyed and reviewed. Vivaldi's Muse and The Spirit of Venice to follow in a couple of weeks, because thoughts and reading are currently devoted to Vienna, where we're off to this coming Wednesday. No trip blog this time, though, as after the furious writing-up of my trips to America and Florence I need a holiday this time! Maybe some cakes-and-architecture bulletins on the old Facebook page though.

2.5.2012
Recently through the letterbox have been the new Christobel Kent, called The Dead Season, and Vivaldi's Muse by Sarah Bruce Kelly. Expect reviews soonish. The new Donna Leon expect less soon, for the aforementioned reasons. I also spotted something called The Spirit of Venice: From Marco Polo to Casanova by Paul Strathern in Hatchards yesterday, and have requested a review copy. (Which arrived on the 3rd - nice one Cape.) The book looks to define the city through the lives of some famous residents. The author wrote a well-reviewed book about the Medici that I've been meaning to read for ages, so the omens look good.

25.4.2012
Home. To big puddles, two confused cats and a trip out for a curry. Also Churches of Venice has used up its bandwidth a week before the end of the month, again. Apologies - I'm looking into a solution, soon.

18.4.2012
Jeff in Florence

16.4.2012
It's not one of the cities I 'do' on this website, but there's no challenging New York's status as the city that needs to be appreciated if you're going to understand the nature and evolution of the city. Following my recent visit I've become a bit immersed, I must admit. I've been watching the Ken Burns TV documentary series, which is exhaustive to say the list, being made up of seven two-hour episodes and a later three-hour updating. Also a conveniently-timed collection of writings about New York from those lovely city-pick people is providing characteristically juicy pointers in all sorts of fruitful literary directions.

9.4.2012
Fans will know that this year's new Brunetti novel came out last week. Fans of this site will know that Donna Leon's publishers (may their name be mud) never send me review copies. So, I'll read and review it eventually, but I'm relying on my local library. There's also the second in the alterno-Venice Assassini series by Jon Courtenay Grimwood, The Outcast Blade, out early May. I have higher hopes of a review copy of this one.

4.4.2012
News in the old inbox this morning of another Titian exhibition at the National Gallery based around The Flight into Egypt, a newly-restored painting loaned from the Hermitage. So off I hie me. The painting itself is an early work and worth a look, but it's not going to trouble my Top Ten Titians list. The landscape is fine but the figures look added on and flat. More of a draw are the works added for context and illustration which form a fine build up. Most are from the National's collection, but there are some useful added portraits from country houses. For me the highlight was a rather wonderful small Giorgione Madonna and Child, also loaned from the Hermitage, and I'll be slipping back when I can to soak it in some more. One of his best indeed, and so a contrast to the 'Giorgione' that usually lives in the basement, and which has been dusted off and brought upstairs. The exhibition goes on until the 19th August, when the Titian will move on to the Accademia in Venice for a while.

 

more news here
 

May 2012
Michael Dibdin A Rich Full Death Florence
Donna Leon Beastly Things Venice
Christobel Kent The Dead Season Florence
April 2012
Gert Jan van der Sman Lorenzo and Giovanna Florence
 Jon Courtenay Grimwood The Outcast Blade Venice
March 2012
Richard Russo Bridge of Sighs Venice
Michelle Lovric Talina in the Tower Venice
Elizabeth Lowry The Bellini Madonna Venice
Nicole Galland I, Iago Venice
February 2012
The Small World of Sammy Lee London films
The Yellow Balloon London films
Maureen Duffy Wounds London
Hidetoshi Nishijima Memories of Venice Venice
January 2012
Roberta Rich The Midwife of Venice Venice
Marco Vichi Death and the Olive Grove Florence
December 2011
Philip Davies Panoramas of Lost London London
Susan Ashley Michael  Crossing the Bridge of Sighs Venice
Craig Taylor Londoners London
November 2011
Simon Blumenfeld Jew boy London
Irving Stone The agony and the ecstasy Florence
October 2011
The Girls of San Frediano Florence films
Robert L France Veniceland Atlantis Venice
Lucretia Grindle The Lost Daughter Florence
September 2011
Gerald Kersh The Angel and the Cuckoo London
Mary Hoffman David Florence
August 2011
Executioner of Venice Venice films
Laura Brylawski-Miller The Medusa's Smile Venice
The Venice Questions - Hallie Rubenhold
Max Pemberton Signors of the night Venice
Petr Kral Loving Venice Venice
July 2011
Mark Hudson Titian: The Last Days Venice
Hallie Rubenhold Mistress of my Fate London
Marco Vichi Death in August Florence
The Venice Questions - Robin Saikia
June 2011
Linda Proud Pallas and the Centaur Florence
Tiziano Scarpa Stabat mater Venice
Robin Saikia The Venice Lido Venice
Niccolò Rinaldi Secret Florence Florence
May 2011
Maxence Fermine The black violin Venice
Ben Aaronovitch Moon Over Soho London
Chris Ewan The Good Thief's Guide to Venice Venice