The photographer and architect Ramon Paolini has been making portraits of Caracas for over 30 years. It is a private look at a place with history, and with a present and future which are being built and rebuilt with astonishing tenacity. Caracas is more than a messy city; it is an homage to paradox. It is made of cement, steel and glass yet ensconced in an extraordinary geographical location surrounded by lush nature with a bevy of mountains, valleys and rivers the city has managed to maintain a unique personality and presence among the largest Latin American cities. This book entails recognition of a place with a story to tell, which is as unknown to its inhabitants as it is to its visitors.

Ramon Paolini (Carache,1949) earned a diploma in architecture from the Central University of Venezuela in 1973 and is an expert in restoration. He has been member of the Directorate of Historical, Artistic and Environmental Heritage of the National Culture Council. He currently runs the Paolini Arquitectos architecture studio in Caracas (Venezuela).