Gardens of Venice by Toto Bergamo Rossi

Join us for a conversation with Toto Bergamo Rossi, conservator-restorer and author, to celebrate his book, Gardens of Venice, a stunning illustrated look at the vibrant history and botanical details of Venice's gardens. He will be joined in conversation by fashion designer and philanthropist Diane Von Furstenberg, and Rizzoli publisher Charles Miers, followed by a signing.

PLEASE NOTE: RSVPs are encouraged but not required. Seating is limited and will be first come, first served. Doors open at 5:30 pm.

Can't attend? (please specify that you would like it signed in the comments box at checkout).

Turquoise lagoons and crystalline canals, criss-crossed by romantic bridges and traversed by singing gondoliers on their gondolas: water is considered by many to be Venice's most enchanting feature. Yet on the little land that constitutes this ancient city, secret and sumptuous gardens lie waiting to cast their captivating spell. This lushly illustrated volume takes readers inside Venice's most undiscovered and most exclusive green spaces across the city. The gardens of the palazzi that overlook the Grand Canal, along with the more vernacular ones of the lagoon islands, are captured throughout the seasons: the flowering in spring, the opulence of summer, the colors of fall and the frost of winter. Photographer Marco Valmarana's exquisite images evoke a sense of wanderlust enough to inspire even the most jaded traveler. To walk the reader through the legacy of these special spaces, author Toto Bergamo Rossi recounts the evolution and history of the Venetian garden alongside a glossary of commonly used plants. The Gardens of Venice also includes a special foreword by designer Diane von Furstenberg.

Toto Bergamo Rossi, formerly a restorer specializing in the conservation of stone materials, is director of Venetian Heritage, an international non-profit organization based in New York and Venice supporting cultural initiatives through restoration, exhibitions, publications, conferences, studies and research. The creator of numerous exhibitions and books dedicated to Venetian art, he has published Inside Venice: A Private View of the City's Most Beautiful Interiors (2016); Venice: The Art of Living (2018); Venice and the Doges: Six Hundred Years of Architecture, Monuments, and Sculpture (2020)

Diane von Furstenberg is a fashion designer, philanthropist and author. Founder of her eponymous brand and creator of the iconic wrap dress, in 2010 she established the DVF Awards with the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation to honor and support extraordinary women. She is the author of numerous books, including Diane: A Signature Life (1998); The Woman I Wanted to Be (2014) and Own It: The Secret to Life (2023). Diane was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2019 and received the Chevalier de la Légion D'Honneur from France in 2020 and the Commandeur de l'Ordre de la Couronne from her native Belgium in 2021. She currently serves on the boards of Vital Voices and the CFDA and is an International Ambassador for Venetian Heritage.

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