Venice, a city of masks and riddles, where narrow streets and passageways form a giant maze that confounds the uninitiated and deepens the sense of mystery. As captivating as it is elusive, the city teeters in precarious balance between endurance and decay. Architectural treasures crumble, foundations shift, ornaments fall, even as efforts to preserve them are under way. In The city of falling angels, John Berendt, author of the record-breaking bestseller Midnight in the garden of good and evil, unveils the enigmatic Venice as only he can. The story opens on the evening of January 29, 1996, when a sensational fire destroys the historic Fenice Opera House.