Did you know that Donna Leon has an American friend who built a gondola all on his own? Such a thing is unheard of. And this is not the only story she has to tell about Venice's most prominent symbol, the icon so familiar to us all. Did you know, for example, that a gondola is constructed from over 200 pieces and 8 different types of wood? In this richly illustrated book Donna Leon has interesting, astonishing and amusing facts to tell. During the golden age of the Serenissima in the 17th and 18th centuries, the European nobility indulged in extravagant Carnival festivities. Back then, both visitors and inhabitants were listening to the barcarole. A selection of these beautiful songs in Venetian dialect can be heard on the enclosed cd, enframed with instrumental music. The singer Vincenzo Capezzuto is accompanied by the recently created ensemble ›Il Pomo d'Oro‹ conducted by Riccardo Minasi.