From Genoa to Ithaca, a personal journey in search of the perfect city, and a reflection on architecture.

Renowned architect Renzo Piano (the New Whitney Museum, the Pompidou Center, Potsdamer Platz, Cite Internationale, New York Times Building, The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, etc.) and his son Carlo, a well-regarded journalist, set sail from Genoa one late Summer day to search for Atlantis, the perfect city, built to harbor a perfect society.

Embarking not only on a life-changing journey but also on series of conversations that are humorous, irreverent, erudite, and always entertaining, Renzo and Carlo travel from Genoa in search of the perfect city, along the way reflecting on their own relationship, on fathers and sons, on the idea of travel itself, and perhaps most notably on architecture, space, and the secret life of forms.

Piano, subject of The Art of Making Buildings and a man who can not only measure land at a glance but also the sea’s infinite geometry, returns to the places where he has created his iconic works, mosaic pieces in the infinite, necessary quest for perfection. With his son he sails across the Pacific, along the banks of the Thames and the Seine, reaching as far as Athens, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, and Osaka Bay.

In search of beauty, Piano finds only imperfection. And so, all that remains is to sail on, in the company of his son.

Carlo Piano
Carlo Piano, the son, journalist. Curious explorer of cities and their customs. Author of books on urban hinterlands. He loves the sea.

Renzo Piano
Renzo Piano, the father, architect. Has built cities all over the world. In this book he tells of an adventurous profession. He loves the sea and shared his passion with his son.

• Nov 30 2020
  “An audaciously ambitious, unfailingly beguiling book.”
  — Bookanista
• Nov 19 2020
  “An inspiring meditation on beauty, architecture, and the essence of modern cities.”
  — The Christian Science Monitor
• Nov 9 2020
  “Breathtaking.”
  — Apple Books
• Sep 15 2020
  ★ “An intimate and insightful chronicle of exploration and revelation.”
  — Kirkus Reviews