The garden in the city of Venice: epitome of state and site

Abstract

Many people do not expect there to be gardens, at least of any significance, in the city of Venice. I Yet they have been a presence there for as long as we have records. Some discussion of them will throw an unusual light upon the general topic of this issue, unusual because unexpected. What will be in question is the role of gardens within the larger landscapes of the Venetian lagoon, the city and its politics, even the Venetian empire.