What effect do the places where we live or work have on us? Historian Roberta Rio, who researches the history of buildings, apartments and properties for her clients, regularly comes across astonishing and recurrent patterns.

In this book she reveals what the Etruscans, the Romans and Cathedral architects all knew about the effects of places, what we ourselves should know and how we can find it out.

Rio offers us a refreshingly down-to-earth summary of the findings of her research, and makes it practicable for our own personal use.

How do we know if a place is good or bad for us? Which place is good to rest and which to work in? Why are there places where relationships flourish and others where they are more likely to break up?