Topophilia

“If a disease is chronic then a change of scenery is to be recommended.” These were the words of the most famous doctor of the ancient world, Hippocrates of Kos, who is also considered the father of modern medicine as he was the first to put natural sciences before the idea of divine intervention.

Historian Roberta Rio was the first of her discipline to study what our ancestors knew about the effects of places; A knowledge that has almost entirely disappeared from our consciousness and been buried under crude para- and pseudoscientific conspiracy theories.

The Book

What effect do the places where we live or work have on us?  Historian Roberta Rio, who researches the history of buildings, apartments and properties for her clients, regularly comes across astonishing and recurrent patterns.

In this book she reveals what the Etruscans, the Romans and Cathedral architects all knew about the effects of places, what we ourselves should know and how we can find it out.

Rio offers us a refreshingly down-to-earth summary of the findings of her research, and makes it practicable for our own personal use.

How do we know if a place is good or bad for us? Which place is good to  rest  and which to work in? Why are there places where relationships flourish and others where they are more likely to break up?

Roberta Rio, The Topophilia Effect. How places affect us edition a