One of Istanbul’s most colorful quarters, every corner of Pera has a different story to tell, and Giovanni Scognamillo knows them all.

Giovanni Scognamillo is a Levantine who was born in Pera, has a memory associated with its every street and building, and never once in his life ever thought of leaving. Known in Turkey for his works of literature, his book on the history of cinema and countless books on Beyoglu, he is, in short, a symbol of the quarter. Soon his latest, ‘Beyoglu Writings’, is going to appear in Turkish, a collection, once again, of writings on Beyoðlu together with a chronology and a bibliography.
We took a spring stroll with Giovanni Scognamillo, whose name is synonymous with Beyoglu, and his assistant, Nalan Söylemez, through the streets of this quarter, once known as Pera.