From the back of the box:

Venice, the 1400's. You are a young merchant trying to make your name in this legendary port of vibrant commerce. Trade in spices, silks, gems, iron, and grain can bring great wealth... if you can bend the market to your will. Buy goods as they enter the city docks and sell them to the tradesmen who need them. Increase your profits by buying shares of the shops that use the goods in which you trade. Gain gold and prestige by fulfilling the orders of the Guild Hall craftsmen.

But Venice is a city of fickle demands and mercurial politics. Spend your ducats wisely and look for help from powerful people such as the Guildmaster, the Harbormaster, the Tax Collector... or perhaps a Thief. Even the humble Gondolieri have powerful connections in Venice. In the end, the most important thing to remember is the simple rule of commerce... buy low and sell high! Only those with the most gold and the highest prestige can truly become... Masters of Venice!

Components:
Game Board
5 Shop Boards
6 Character Cards
1 Gondola
5 Movement and Bidding Dials
70 Shares of Stock
90 Wooden Resource Cubes
1 Resource Bag
6 Church Favors
1 Gondola Marker
15 Rumors
21 Guild Order Cards
16 Price Pegs
5 Player Pawns
10 Wooden Player Disks
132 Ducats - 24 5's, 36 10's, 18 25's, 24 50's, 12 100's, 12 500's & 6 1000's.
Illustrated Rules

Game Play:
A full game consists of 16 rounds, 4 Bidding Rounds and 12 Commerce Rounds. During Bidding Rounds, all players place a bid on their Player Dial that determines player order, role selection, and influence in the market. Character roles allow the players to gain additional powers and abilities. During Commerce rounds the players select a destination on the game board, such as the Mercato, the Docks, the Shops, and the Stock Market. Some destinations have shared actions and all players will benefit from those locations. Other destinations are only utilized by the players selecting that location.

Players will buy and sell cargos, fulfill orders from the Guild Hall, buy Stock in the merchant's Shops, ask for favors from the Church, and visit the Shipping Offices and the Docks to conduct trade. The players compete to gain the most ducats and prestige to win the game.

Microbadges:

Reviewed in "Counter - Boardgames Reviewed & Discussed" by Ben Baldanza*, Issue 46, September 2009, pp. 42-45. *diemacher