In the popular imagination, Venice offers a kaleidoscope of images, from romantic gondolas to garish Murano glassware, from crumbling palaces on the Grand Canal to masked revelers at the Venetian Carnival. Summer presents the bustling splendor of Piazza San Marco while winter is swathed in mystery: the mist-laden, monochrome curtain of a city out of season. Then, the city conjures up the cultivated melancholy of Visconti's haunting Death in Venice, based on Thomas Mann's novel. Luminous Venetian painting embraces Camaletto's stately majesty, Titian's vibrant explosions of color and Tintoretto's mastery of light and shadow. Private Venice harbors its own pleasures, from secluded backwaters to mildewed churches or the soporific sound of boat horns drifting over the canals.

Its sheer uniqueness makes it a wonder of the world. No other Western city has so many historic buildings built on water; few other cities have so successfully straddled East and West, with glittering architectural treasures from both worlds. Venice needed no structural alterations in order to accommodate modern traffic; cars simply have to turn back once they reach Piazzale Roma. As a result, Venice is unsullied by modernity, an act of foresight on the part of the city's founders.

The Insight FlexiMap of Venice is a great travel addition. Here is an innovative laminated folding map that marries durability and convenience with accuracy, utility, and readability.

Produced with state-of-the-art technology, FlexiMaps feature detailed city street and road maps clearly marked with all the sites and services of particular interest to travelers.

Text and photographs offer a wealth of valuable tourist information including "10 sights you shouldn't miss," plus information on transportation, visas, currency, important telephone numbers, emergency services, and more.

Price: $7.95