This book was born out of a need and a desire. Since 2016, I have systematically begun to explore the body of mainland Greece. It was the mainland that particularly captured my interest, especially the cities that were not at all or only minimally touristy.

Of course, my gaze embraced the entirety of the country from Crete to Macedonia and from Thrace to the Ionian Islands, but my need was to examine the urban repository that I felt was neglected, overlooked, undervalued, and in decline.

My great desire was defined by what I saw all these years throughout Greece. An unexploited wealth, fragments of urban culture that seemed like abandoned spoils, an immense and irregular legacy that demanded a new perspective.

In this book, I chose to present some brief, personal, and impressionistic texts about 24 cities. The selection is based solely on the experience of a recent visit. Thessaloniki is deliberately absent, as it is a "continent" in itself, a whole world.

Similarly, Piraeus is missing as well as many important cities, as the purpose of this book is not an encyclopedic record but the indicative and absolutely subjective presentation of examples that strengthen the central position of this collection of thoughts, observations, and photographs about the urban renaissance of Greece.

The great love for Greek cities is central to my view of the world, the future, history, and the people who have lived, live, and will live. The journey continues...