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Summary: The spirit of Venice is woven into Francesco's soul!
Comment: The best reviews are always those whose author is well versed in the subject ~ seemingly an obvious
point but something that is all too often ignored ~ and if the reviewer also loves his or her
subject matter with a passion, so much the better.

It would be hard to find a more
poetic, seductive reviewer than this super sexy man, who is clearly first a Venetian and second an
Italian! Francesco draws the viewer in like an angler teasing a fish until you are well and truly
hooked!

I had visited Venice briefly, many years ago but at the wrong time of year ~
high summer (definitely not recommended) without undertaking any pre-visit research (definitely
another big mistake ~ it is preferable to research any country but essential in order to really
'get' Venice) and for far too short a time to really form an intelligent opinion on this unique
city.

This year, I had the opportunity to return with a group of girlfriends to watch
our daughters' choir perform over 4 days. Apart from the concerts/masses in which they were
performing, our time was our own. Despite it being mid-May, the weather was atrocious ~ horizontal
rain on one day, with only one hot sunny day which, fortunately, was the day we visited the Island
of Murano.

Despite all this, having watched Francesco's Venice, I felt, so prepared, so
well versed in the city's foundations, history and character, that the weather became (almost!)
unimportant.

I would not hesitate to recommend, no insist, as I did with my
accompanying girlfriends, that this DVD is a pre-requisite for any visitor to this amazing city. It
would certainly be no penance for any woman to watch Francesco da Mosto for 4 hours but I would defy
anyone, male or female, young or old, not to be drawn in by his amazing story-telling ability. />
Here is Venice during its times of triumph and disaster, health and sickness, all
enthralling and captivating to the viewer with Francesco as an attentive and informative guide.
Because of his transparent love for his home city, the viewer too, gets drawn into this love affair
that is still ongoing.
The mixture of fact and inserts of historical drama, add to the
intrigue and, in the best way possible, we begin to understand Francesco's great love of his place
of birth.

Only one word of warning, it is rated a 15 for a reason! Pre-vet before
showing to any young children as it is pretty sexually explicit in parts!

Enjoy! />Dx

Customer Rating:

Summary: Compliments, Endorsements, and an Important Correction.
Comment: Superb series in every way.The personable tour-guide-of the-air-waves, Francesco Da Mosto, uses his
photogenic charm, romantic, carressing, voice and personality, to increase the attractiveness of an
already alluring city still further, humanizing historical names, Vivaldi, and Casanova, for
example, by telling details of their sometimes very personal lives, both their great achievements
and often disreputable behaviour, so that they seem alive, momentarilly, once more.
He doesn't
overlook that Venice's yesterdays are used as a backdrop for street markets to sell the pretty but
trashy trumpery of our to-days; he shows the graffitti, and laments the continuing exodus of
Venitians from their own city; natives, in London, Rome, or anywhere else, are thought of by
governments as just as much of a demographic inconvenience, it seems, to the monetry flow of
tourists, here, as much as anywhere, which is all very well, but, could I ask, when the last of the
two remaining Venitian boatyards closes, just whom shall you go to, then, when next the keel falls
off your Gondola? Honda?
Treasures removed by Napoleon allow us to exercise our imagination by
visualizing them; and, contrary to a previous Reviewer's assertion, the Elgin marbles were bought by
Lord Elgin, and subsequent Greecian regret has developed into a very unattractive, deliberately
misrepresentative bitterness on their part.
For lovers of gentle, wistful stories, or just for
lovers, I can highly recommend Katherine Hepburn's 1955 film, Summertime, set entirely in Venice,
which is usually for sale on Amazon.
To live in a country's selective past glories is a great
way to enjoy life; so, if you're not a contemporary Venitian in search of employment, and don't have
to leave the city to live, you can stroll around it with this companionable, knowledgeable man,
enjoying his friendliness and naughty smile, learning, feasting, and admiring whilst promising
yourself to go one day. If only it could be with Francesco.
(Please could I refer any reader
of this article to the 'Comments'' link, below, for further interest, and any that they may care to
add.Thanks.)

Customer Rating:

Summary: cracking preparation for those going to Venice
Comment: This was the perfect way to get ready for 3 nights in Venice. Well presented and with a good pace to
it, the 4 hours flew by and we came out of this much the wiser about our short break destination. As
a result, we got much, much more out of our holiday.

In these enlightened days of
non-smoking the only thing that distracts is the presenter's penchant for holding a cigarette for
much of the programme and even - horror of horrors - taking the occasional drag on it. When was the
last time any of us saw a presenter with the chutzpah to smoke on screen?

Customer Rating:

Summary: Excellent storyteller
Comment: If you are going to visit Venice, spending 4 hours watching this DVD will save you a lot of time
(and money) since he puts the city in context and shows some of the highlights to head for. He is a
master storyteller, and delights in telling you how Venetians have struggled from one disaster to
another, making some magnificent buildings in the process.

The Venice on the DVD is
without the hordes of tourists, overpriced tourist restaurants, and cheesy tourist shops which cram
into Venice today - you will see that for yourself when you get there.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Enthralling
Comment: A stunning introduction to this marvelous city or an amazing wealth of knowledge for regular
visitors, this four part series presented by a knowledgeable Venitian is wonderfully shot and
scored. It perfectly gives a snapshot of the history of Venice and the Lagoon around it, some might
balk at the final episode which points a finger at the tourists that have turned the city into a
giant museum, but this is the quandary the city finds itself in as it tries to survive with no way
of growth or any real industry. Well worth investing in.

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