Florentine photographer Lapo Baraldi eloquently captures a silent and surreal Florence, empty of people, during the first phase of the pandemic in the spring of 2020. Shooting with black and white film, these urban spaces are revealed as their planners imagined them, and the viewer becomes lost in their timelessness. As with archival images, we are aware of the life that is simmering below the surface. Florence As It Is is accompanied by a previously unpublished short story by Elena Ronchi. AUTHORS: Following his graduation from the International School of Photography in Florence, Lapo Baraldi (1985) began work as an assistant at the Studio Ugolini. Here he worked on a range of projects in the fields of fashion and still life photography. His personal research was focused on photographic features and art work reproduction. During the lock down in April 2020, he took a series of photographs of the city of Florence using analogue printing techniques that he intends to apply to future projects. Elena Ronchi (Gubbio, 1985) is an architect and founder of Studioten, where her work focuses on public space projects, interior design and exhibition staging. Her career has been divided between the cities of Florence, Lisbon and Vilnius. From 2013 to 2017, she was editor of the magazine Area, where she remains a contributor. She also works on editorial projects for Forma Edizioni publishers. She teaches Interior Design courses at the Istituto Lorenzo de' Medici in Florence. SELLING POINTS: . The beauty of the architecture that has made Florence famous is revealed in stunning black and white images of the city taken during the pandemic 40 b/w illustrations