Turin, where rivers sweep

See how nature seeps
between stones, the river’s sweep —
then it all slows down

It is my first time setting foot in Turin. I’ve been told the center is gorgeous, and oh so photogenic. Yet I find myself moving as quickly as I can through its cobbled streets, brushing past its historic buildings, until I reach pockets of greenery, lush parks, calm riverbanks — lingering.

I spend the next few days walking, slowly making my way along the Po, to where it meets the Dora, then alongside the Dora’s banks and industrial past. I watch the city dissipate into nature, then return, a murmur at first, until it is fully present again. I nod at passersby, count the bikes, feel for the runners — red in the cheeks — and observe those who call the city home, and the parks haven.

Lingering where the natural and the urban intertwine, I am reminded that the most welcoming cities are the ones that leave room to slow down, to wander, and to imagine.

This series was made during a photography residency of just under a week, at the invitation of Utopian Hours, the festival of city-making. I thank them for their trust and for the opportunity to explore new ground.