Lost in a Dream of Venice!

COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED

BOOK GIVEAWAY COMPETITION: A DREAM OF VENICE

Although I am actually the daughter of a very talented artist (a painter, sculptor, carpenter, glass maker, photographer, astronomer – no, my dad is not Leonardo Da Vinci, but could bloody well have been), unfortunately my DNA was not blessed with the same flair and abilities.
But once in a while that little artistic cell which must be hiding somewhere deep inside me, upon viewing something particularly beautiful and creative, gets all excited and passionate. So as the excitement grows, I just can’t stop jumping around and talk about the new amazing thing I just discovered! Some people think I am a bit crazy, others find it amusing and energising: either way it is my way of expressing the pleasure in finding beauty in a world which nowadays is not as beautiful as it used to be!

So invariably, when one of the most amazing photography books on Venice landed on my laps, I just started squealing, jumping around as I simply could not believe my luck!

But let’s start from the beginning!

A few years ago I had the pleasure of becoming friends with JoAnn Locktov, an incredible woman who had a Dream which she decided had to be pursued! She wanted to put on paper her love for Venice, a city which captured her soul the moment she stepped foot in it and which has never let her go ever since!
JoAnn and I have always been rather virtual friends, considering the distance between our two countries of residence, but through the last couple of years we kept nearly a daily contact through Facebook and Twitter. JoAnn is one of those people who, as Marisa Convento from Venetian Dreams says, has managed to keep a delightful balance in her love for Venice and her critical eye for this troubled city. She always tries to bring to the attention of the people, who follow her on various social networks, the different aspects of Venetian life, either good or bad, trying to offer a 360 degrees view of the city of water!

So, when she mentioned she wanted to write and publish a book on Venice, I was not surprised, on the contrary, I got very excited: I was very looking forward to see how she would and could portray Venice in a way which had not been done before.
Time passed and through social media I discovered JoAnn was involved in this project with Charles Christopher, a world famous motion picture and television stills photographer who, I truly believe, is in love with Venice as much as JoAnn is. This got me even more excited, cause I realised the book will surely be a whirlwind of amazing pictures!!

And it is, and much more!

So, last week JoAnn finally made her way back to Italy and she personally put her creation on my lap – well, it was actually over a small table in a lovely cicchetteria in Venice, over some delicious cicchetti and some Prosecco wine, but you get the gist!

As I opened the package and held the velvety skin textured cover I started, as I said before, squealing: first because I was not expecting it and I adore to receive books from those who actually wrote them! Secondly because the book is truly BELLISSIMO!

REVIEW

The book is simply exquisite: Charles’s photos have captured the true essence of my beloved city! There are millions of photos of Venice in books and circulating on the net, but generally they are all about the monuments and famous sites, rarely they portray the everyday life of the city and its people! As you browse slowly through the pages (don’t you dare to rush through this book, savour it, like you would with an expensive glass of Amarone wine), you are captivated and transported into another world. A Venice of shadows and lighting, of real people and surreal objects, of water reflections and strange skies. An enchanting Dream of Venice!

And with each picture, a quote, long or short, from a famous or not so famous person. Quotes that I know JoAnn has personally gathered, travelling worldwide and meeting all sorts of people! Simple words, expressing all that Venice is for those people who live it or simply visit it.

Marcella Hazan: The rhythms of Venice, its spaces, its structures mirror human life to a degree unmatched by any other major historical city……

Julie Christie: The unexpected mistery of Venice…misleading reflections, startling shadows…..

And all of them have one thing in common: their love for Venice. A love which transpires through each page, through each word and through each image. The same love which JoAnn and Charles hold for it.

This book is a true homage to Venice, its people and the beauty which permeates every single Venetian stone, alley, statues and cranny.

And it is also doing its part in saving Venice! For each book sold, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Save Venice Inc, an American non profit organisation dedicated to preserving the artistic heritage of Venice.

And considering that Christmas is fast approaching, this is really the perfect gift for any Venice lover and Venetophile: a gift to last and to bring back the love for Venice any time they will turn a page!

COMPETITION

And now for our competition: how can you win a beautiful copy of Dream Of Venice by Charles Christopher and JoAnn Locktov?

Simple: read below!

Terms and conditions:

First just follow these easy steps!

1- Click here and like Dream Of Venice Facebook Page (if you do not already do so)

2- Click here and follow me on Twitter (if you do not already do so)

3- Click here and follow Dream of Venice (if you do not already do so)

4- re-tweet this post by adding the hash-tag #dreamofvenicecontest (please make sure to add this tag!)

Once you have executed the previous steps, just place a comment below to let me know you are entering the competition, that you have followed all of the above steps and giving your name and email address. The winner will be contacted via the email name displayed on our website.

The competition is open to everyone, worldwide. Prizes can only be sent to a valid address unless otherwise stated, all postage and packaging included.

Entry to the competition is restricted to one entry per person please. Multiple entries will be disqualified. Automated entries, bulk entries or third party entries will be disqualified!

The winner will be chosen at random from all valid entries, among all the people who have correctly completed all the indicated steps and left a comment (we will use this site http://www.randomresult.com/).

The Judges decision is final and no correspondence will be entered in to.

The competition. is open from today Sunday 30th November 2014 until Sunday 7th December 2014, 9am Italian time.

www.monicacesarato.com is compliant with the data protection act. Our policy is such that we will not pass on your details to any third party without your prior consent.

SO, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? ENTER THE COMPETITION NOW!