Overview

Once, Out of Venice is a lyrical travel memoir that captures the quiet, profound beauty of a winter road trip across northern and central Italy in 2002. After the intoxicating whirlwind of Venice Carnival-where the author arrived with three hundred rolls of film and departed carrying a single, indelible memory of collective joy-he and his friend Paul turn their backs on the lagoon. They trade gondolas for a tiny blue hatchback and set off along a route sketched on a map in Paris, chasing the permanent revelations of stone, mosaic, and marble. Over twelve unhurried days, the journey unfolds as a private dialogue between a photographer, a scholar, and the Italian landscape. From the hushed, golden mosaics of Ravenna's Byzantine basilicas to the sharp, vinegary depth of traditional Modena balsamic; from Brunelleschi's impossible dome in Florence to the shell-shaped embrace of Siena's Piazza del Campo; from the fairy-tale cliff-top cathedral of Orvieto to the exhilarating, leg-burning conquest of Rome by bicycle-this is a pilgrimage measured not in miles but in cappuccinos, exposed film canisters, and the gradual weight of wonder. The book is steeped in sensory detail and contemplative observation. Nabati writes with a photographer's eye for light and fragment, revealing how silence can ring louder than crowds, how ancient gold tesserae still shimmer after fifteen centuries, and how a simple meal in a quiet trattoria can feel like communion. Historical and artistic insights are woven seamlessly into personal experience, never didactic, always illuminating. Beneath the beauty runs a subtle thread: the lingering spirit of Venice-its masks, its fleeting magic-does not fade but travels with them, quietly revealing that Italy, for certain temperaments, is less a foreign country than a long-awaited homecoming. Intimate, elegant, and deeply felt, Once, Out of Venice is both a love letter to Italy's timeless masterpieces and a meditation on the transformative power of slow, attentive travel. It reminds us that the greatest journeys are often those that begin the moment the spectacle ends.

Full Product Details

9798223823209

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

Max (Shahrooz) Nabati is a global citizen and an accomplished author. He has explored many countries, immersed himself in diverse societies, cultures, and natural wonders. These journeys have deeply inspired his creative work, leading him to publish short stories and novels across various genres, with several of his works released over the past decade.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available