DAVID PLAISANT Writer

Rome-based architecture writer Plaisant was perfectly placed to explore the world of Italian icon Paolo Portoghesi (page 186). ‘We were incredibly lucky to gain access to his wonderful house and gardens just days before Italy’s lockdown last March,’ he says. And it wasn’t just the architecture that made the experience memorable, as ‘Portoghesi was also keen to show us his private zoo’. Plaisant is now working on a book documenting the Roman palazzina.