Venice is the most touristic city in the world: but how did it become so over the centuries? And what are the implications for those who lived there, and still live there? This is the starting point for the historical research that Robert C. Davis begun over twenty years ago together with anthropologist Garry R. Marvin, translated here for the first time in Italian, in a revised and updated edition.

An illuminating portrait of the transformations experienced by the city in recent decades, Davis' book analyses Venetian society and culture in depth, revealing both lights and shadows.

"Il Giocattolo del Mondo" is an essential reading to understand the history of the city beyond the commonplaces, delving into its real complexity. A text that talks about Venice to talk about the whole world, where the tourist industry thrive endlessly, transforming places and cultures of every corner of the planet.