Marble palaces balanced atop wooden poles commuters crossing the Grand Canal standing in gondolas prosecco" bottles popping in tight quarters: Venice defies all common sense & chooses wonder instead. Alison Bing Lonely Planet Writer Our Promise You can trust our travel information because Lonely Planet authors visit the places we write about each & every edition. We never accept freebies for positive coverage so you can rely on us to tell it like it is. Inside This Book 2 expert authors 29 maps 100 islands 149km of canals 1500 years of art & architecture Comprehensive map section Feature coverage of top sights Range of planning tools In-depth background on Venice s art & architecture"