[ANTONIO PIAZZA]: LA TURCA IN CIMENTO O SIA L AVVENTURA DI ZELMIRA.VENEZIA 1765 First edition, small 8vo, contemporary leather over boards rubbed, covers trimmed, spine richly gilt, head of spine gone, text clean and bright, with some light spotting in few pages, complete two volumes in one 212p.,181p.,overall in almost very good condition. Piaza work is a Venetian pseudo autobiographical novel of 18th-century which belongs to a popular genre of the time known as Turquerie, where European authors explored themes of the Levant and Ottoman adventures. The protagonist, depicted as a noble spirited woman facing a trial (cimento), the story typically involves a struggle between Eastern and Western values, often ending in a humorous or light-hearted resolution characteristic of the giocoso style. Venice had a long-standing fascination with the Ottoman Empire due to their shared maritime borders and history of trade and war..It is a perfect example of how the 18th-century Enlightenment viewed the Levant,as a place of fantasy, moral lessons, and adventure. Since it is written by herself, it mimics the style of real travelogues.