Neal Robbins first came to Venice at age 17 as an exchange student. For a year, he lived with an Italian family in a traditional palazzo and attended high school. At age 65 he returned to Venice and spent several months interviewing his former classmates and many others about how the city has endured and changed. In his book, Robbins explores the city and the lagoon and asks what difference it makes to the rest of us that this world heritage city is struggling with mass tourism and climate change. The city's fate will be a test for all mankind as it strives to save itself from climate change, preserve its heritage and assure its own economic well-being.
"Nonfiction essay? A guide? An historical text? An autobiographical story? There’s a bit of everything in this accurate, interesting, original work… With wisdom and judiciousness, Neal confronts the fundamental themes — historical, environmental and social — seeking to overcome cliches, invented traditions, and prejudices." Giorgio Crovato, historian and a director of Ateneo Veneto

Bio: Neal Robbins is a professional journalist, and the author of several books. His reporting and writing have appeared in a wide variety of publications, including The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The International Herald Tribune, and The Christian Science Monitor as well as on National Public Radio. A native of Chicago, he has lived in Hong Kong, Taipei, and New Delhi, and now resides with his family in Cambridge, England.

​Book can be bought at http://localsecrets.com/buy-the-book/ or amazon (hard copy and kindle).