Venice in the 16th century had more convents than any other city in Europe.....This beautifully-written book explores who the nuns were, how they got there, how they lived their lives (did you know that the first thing visitors often met on entry was chickens?) and above all the stratagems they adopted to maintain contact with the outside world as Counter Reformation policy attempted to force enclosure on them. A gem of scholarship lightly worn.
(Annabel Bedini - bwl 29 April 2005 ) |
