"For those who love boats, architecture and original enquiring minds, this book is a dream. " -Jeremy Irons World-famous architect Renzo Piano and his son Carlo set sail from Genoa one late Summer day, guided by the ancestral desire felt by many explorers before them: to find Atlantis (in Italian, Atlantide). Atlantis is the perfect city, built to harbour a perfect society. This is its true beauty, precious and elusive. Renzo Piano, 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 erected his 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, he finds the imperfections that every building project carries within it. And so, all that remains is to sail on.

“The pair reflect in a series of conversations on architecture, art, philosophy and much else besides, linked by Carlo's lyrical descriptions of life at sea.”
“We find a great wealth of observation and contemplation in their writing…. Atlantis is a travelogue, a handbook on sailing and architecture, and a rumination on what beauty means.” * The TLS *
"Travel, memoir, family relations. It’s a bit of everything. A very enjoyable blend of architectural tails and the musings of a highly successful perfectionist." * Geographical *
A starred review: “An intimate and insightful chronicle of exploration and revelation.”
“Complex, tender, moving.” * La Repubblica *
“Engaging and endlessly original.” * Bon Culture *
"An audaciously ambitious, unfailingly beguiling book." * Bookanista *
"Totally engaging, from start to finish; the narrative interesting and intriguing, with the addition of that element of humanity that only two people who know each other as well as these two could bring." * Word By Word *

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