Rio de Janeiro
Where I learned that landscape wins — and should.
Rio has always felt like a city designed by its landscape rather than the other way around. The mountains interrupt the streets, the sea appears when you least expect it, and some views are so absurdly beautiful they almost make the architecture secondary. It is a city constantly negotiating with nature.
What I notice: the curves of Brazilian modernism, buildings opening towards the view, stone, concrete, tropical vegetation and the particular elegance of spaces that never feel too formal. There is something very bossa nova about Rio — sophisticated without trying too hard, relaxed but precise.
Maybe that is also the carioca way of living: doors open, music playing, people arriving, the beach always somewhere in the background. Rio taught me that beauty can be serious without ever becoming stiff.