Florence : a map of perceptions / Andrea Ponsi.

"Many years have passed since architect Andrea Ponsi settled in Florence, and still he feels he does not fully comprehend this mysterious city. His tour of the city is one of continually shifting light and perspective, of stunning symmetry and an even more compelling asymmetry, of sudden transitions from bustling streets to the most perfect silence." "While Ponsi does consider such celebrated sites as the Piazza Santa Croce, the Ponte Vecchio, and the Duomo, the book is a decidedly personal view of Florence. The author notes the city's recurring geometry - the square courtyards, triangular spires, octagonal plaques and pillars - and marvels at a room almost too big to be called a room. He views the city from various terraces and likens the expanse of rising and falling rooftops to ocean waves." "This is the way we dream an architect could speak to us, fully communicating his passion. The book's prose - as well as its balance of the civic with the intensely personal - recalls the Calvino of Marcovaldo and Invisible Cities. The text is accompanied by Ponsi's own spare but evocative watercolors and sketches, which, like his words, seek to behold rather than pin down. This lyrical tribute is as much an ode to the lost art of contemplation as it is to Florence - a city where every moment is different from every other moment."--BOOK JACKET.