Henry James' fascination with Venice is reflected in stories and novels such as "The Aspern Papers" and "The Wings of the Dove," as well as in many letters to relatives and friends. He also reported on his impressions in five stylistically refined essays, which he used to open his collection "Italian Hours" in 1909. These essays are presented here for the first time in German translation. They are masterpieces of portraiture in which James narrates the atmospheres of this unique city in a lucid and highly elegant manner. Together with him, we wander through La Serenissima from his quarters at the Riva degli Schiavoni, studying the paintings of Bellini and Tintoretto in the churches through his eyes, or we step out onto the balcony of the Palazzo Barbaro to observe the activity on the Canal Grande. Accompanying the reader on all these paths is Hanns-Josef Ortheil.