Usually known as d’Annunzio’s Venetian novel, Il fuoco (The flame of life) is a complex work in which the Italian city is more a symbolic item than a geographical setting. At the beginning, Venice has an artistic function and is seen as the cradle of Art, but then she disappears from the plot as soon as the main character (Stelio Effrena) becomes aware that he can create Art by himself. On the other hand, in the novel, Venice is the icon of music and music represents her artistic value, but the second part of the novel (The Empire of silence) can be interpreted as an overtake of Venice musical function. D’Annunzio had worked at Il fuoco for more than ten years, and at the end of 19th century his poetry was changing and moving to the Laudi. The new lyrical turn changed the symbolic meaning of the novel.