Hi, I'm looking for book recommendations for understanding the history of Italy (in particular Venice)in the 12th century. I'm interested in learning about what the culture was like in the country, what customs they may have had, what religious practices, beliefs, jobs, what life was like for merchants, nobles, and the role of women in Italian society at the time.
Great choice of topic! Here are a handful of sources from respected academics. Not all of them are restricted to the 12th century, but all of them do a good job of delving into many of the issues you are interested in:
Madden, Thomas. Enrico Dandolo and the Rise of Venice. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006.
Madden, Thomas. Venice: A New History. Penguin, 2013.
Skinner, Patricia. Women in Medieval Italian Society, 500-1200. Pearson, 2008.
Nicol, Donal. Byzantium and Venice: A Study in Diplomatic and Cultural Relations. Cambridge, 1992.
Epstein, Steven (no, not that Epstein). Genoa and the Genoese, 958-1528. University of North Carolina, 2001.
Jansen, Katherine et al. Medieval Italy: Texts in Translation. University of Pennsylvania, 2009.
Abulafia, David (ed). Italy in the Central Middle Ages. Oxford, 2004.
Note that these recommendations focus on northern Italy and Venice. The historiography for Norman Sicily and southern Italy during this time period is fairly distinct. A good starting point for that is Hubert Houben's Roger II: A Ruler Between East and West (Cambridge, 2002). Happy reading!