Unfold Your City — pop-up books of great cities

Pop-up books of great citiesOpen your phone, and the city rises out of the page.
Open the phone, and the book opens with it.
On iPhone Duo, the hinge is the book's spine.
The city rises out of the page.
Every card stands up exactly as real paper would at that angle.
Lay it flat, and dusk falls.
The sky deepens and the sea turns to ink.
The lights come on.
A music box plays, and Barcelona comes alive. It's the free book on the shelf.

Made for iPhone Duo

The phone is the book.

Shut, the outer display shows the city's cloth cover, stamped in gold. Unfold the phone and the book opens in your hands: slowly, and every card stands up at the true angle of the fold; snap it open, and the whole city springs up.

On every other iPhone, a hinge at the bottom of the screen opens the book, and in AR you can set it down on a real table.

Christmas, 1 December to 6 January

Christmas comes to the shelf.

Every city is printed for the season, the way it really keeps it, and paper snow falls on the pages, except in Sydney, where it's summer. You can turn the snow off.

The Advent calendar

Free

From 1 November a new book stands first on the shelf: a pop-up winter town in four spreads, with 24 paper doors. From 1 December, open one each day until Christmas Eve. Today's door glows, and behind each one a tiny ornament from one of the cities stands up. Missed a day? Its door waits for you.

The Advent calendar's village street at night, doors 1 to 4 open and door 5 glowing, a pop-up spread — **The village**Gabled houses under the snow and a clock tower on the fold: the first six doors.

The Advent calendar's Christmas market, every door open, a pop-up spread — **The market**Wooden stalls under striped roofs, the great tree and the carousel turning: doors 7 to 12.

The Advent calendar's frozen pond at sunset, skaters on the ice, a pop-up spread — **The pond**Skaters glide on the frozen pond as the sun goes down behind the firs: doors 13 to 18.

The Advent calendar's snowy rooftops on Christmas Eve, the star risen into the night sky, a pop-up spread — **The rooftops**Chimneys smoke and a cat keeps watch on the snowy roofs. On Christmas Eve, the paper plane carries the star to the top of the night.

Every city, in season

Christmas is printed over each spread's own season, never instead of it, and each city keeps it in its own way.

London at Christmas: Westminster and Big Ben at dusk, with snow on the pinnacles, a pop-up spread — **London**Snow on Westminster's pinnacles, bulbs in the Embankment's plane trees, and a sprig of holly on the bus.

Seoul at Christmas: Gwanghwamun with snow on its roofs, a Christmas tree and lanterns in the stream, a pop-up spread — **Seoul**Snow on Gwanghwamun's roofs, the tree of the Christmas market by the palace walls, and the lantern festival's light sculptures in the Cheonggyecheon.

Mexico City at Christmas: the Zócalo at night, with light figures, stalls and a tall tree, a pop-up spread — **Mexico City**Light figures round the Zócalo, the verbena's stalls and its tall tree, and a star piñata among the balloons.

Tokyo at the New Year: Sensō-ji's Thunder Gate with snow on its roofs, a pop-up spread — **Tokyo**Sensō-ji keeps the New Year, not Christmas: winter plum and little kites along Nakamise, a stall of hagoita, and snow on the Thunder Gate.

Paris at Christmas: Sacré-Cœur on Montmartre at night, with snow on the roofs and a garland round the carousel, a pop-up spread — **Paris**Snow on the roofs of the Butte, a fir garland round the carousel, and a chestnut seller by the funicular.

Sydney at Christmas: The Rocks at dusk, fairy lights across the lanes, a pop-up spread — **Sydney**A summer Christmas, and no snow: fairy lights across the lanes and verandahs, Christmas bush, and market stalls on the Quay.

Thirty-nine spreads, thirteen cities

A day in each city.

Every book opens on a panorama of the city, then two of its landmarks, from morning light to golden hour. Lay a page flat, and it turns to dusk.

Barcelona

Free

**Barcelona**Between the hills and the sea, Gaudí's Sagrada Família climbs into the sky like a sandcastle: begun in 1882, and still being built.

Barcelona: Casa Batlló, a pop-up spread — **Casa Batlló**In 1904–1906 Gaudí remade this house on the Passeig de Gràcia: a dragon’s back for a roof, masks for balconies, broken tile that shimmers like the sea.

**Casa Batlló**In 1904–1906 Gaudí remade this house on the Passeig de Gràcia: a dragon’s back for a roof, masks for balconies, broken tile that shimmers like the sea.

Barcelona: Park Güell, a pop-up spread — **Park Güell**Gaudí built it for Eusebi Güell in 1900–1914 as a garden city on the hill; since 1926 it has been a public park, its mosaic dragon guarding the stairs.

**Park Güell**Gaudí built it for Eusebi Güell in 1900–1914 as a garden city on the hill; since 1926 it has been a public park, its mosaic dragon guarding the stairs.

Chicago

One-time purchase

**Chicago**Across Monroe Harbor in Grant Park, Buckingham Fountain (1927) stands for Lake Michigan, and its four pairs of sea horses for the four states on its shores.

Chicago: the bandshell and the Great Lawn in Millennium Park, a pop-up spread — **Millennium Park**Frank Gehry's bandshell opened with Millennium Park in 2004; its trellis of steel pipes carries the sound over the Great Lawn, where summer evenings bring free concerts.

**Millennium Park**Frank Gehry's bandshell opened with Millennium Park in 2004; its trellis of steel pipes carries the sound over the Great Lawn, where summer evenings bring free concerts.

Chicago: the L crossing the Wells Street Bridge over the Chicago River, a pop-up spread — **The Chicago River**Reversed in 1900, the river flows away from the lake between towers of every age. On the double-deck Wells Street Bridge of 1922, the L rumbles over the traffic into the Loop.

**The Chicago River**Reversed in 1900, the river flows away from the lake between towers of every age. On the double-deck Wells Street Bridge of 1922, the L rumbles over the traffic into the Loop.

Kyoto

One-time purchase

**Kyoto**Kiyomizu-dera's stage, rebuilt in 1633, stands nearly 13 metres above the maples on eighteen zelkova pillars joined without a single nail.

Kyoto: the tunnels of vermilion torii at Fushimi Inari Taisha, a pop-up spread — **Fushimi Inari Taisha**Some ten thousand vermilion torii, each the gift of a person or a business, climb Inari-san above the head shrine of Inari, kami of rice and of trade, founded here in 711.

**Fushimi Inari Taisha**Some ten thousand vermilion torii, each the gift of a person or a business, climb Inari-san above the head shrine of Inari, kami of rice and of trade, founded here in 711.

Kyoto: the Golden Pavilion doubled in its pond, a pop-up spread — **Kinkaku-ji**Begun in 1397 as the shogun Yoshimitsu's retreat, it became a Zen temple after his death. The pavilion, gilded on its upper two floors, burned in 1950 and was rebuilt in 1955.

**Kinkaku-ji**Begun in 1397 as the shogun Yoshimitsu's retreat, it became a Zen temple after his death. The pavilion, gilded on its upper two floors, burned in 1950 and was rebuilt in 1955.

London

One-time purchase

**London**The sun goes down over the Thames and Big Ben strikes six. The Houses of Parliament glow gold, and a red bus rattles home across Westminster Bridge.

London: Tower Bridge, a pop-up spread — **Tower Bridge**Since 1894 its two great leaves have lifted to let tall ships pass, while the old Tower of London keeps watch beside the river.

**Tower Bridge**Since 1894 its two great leaves have lifted to let tall ships pass, while the old Tower of London keeps watch beside the river.

London: Buckingham Palace, a pop-up spread — **Buckingham Palace**The sovereign's London home since 1837. On set days the guard changes in the forecourt, beneath the golden Victory.

**Buckingham Palace**The sovereign's London home since 1837. On set days the guard changes in the forecourt, beneath the golden Victory.

Los Angeles

One-time purchase

**Los Angeles**Exempt from the city's old height limit, City Hall (1928) was the tallest building in Los Angeles until 1966. Behind it rise the San Gabriel Mountains.

Los Angeles: the observatory on Mount Hollywood, above Griffith Park, a pop-up spread — **Griffith Park**Griffith J. Griffith gave this park to the city in 1896, and his will paid for the observatory on Mount Hollywood, opened free to all in 1935.

**Griffith Park**Griffith J. Griffith gave this park to the city in 1896, and his will paid for the observatory on Mount Hollywood, opened free to all in 1935.

Los Angeles: Santa Monica's pier and its Ferris wheel at sunset, a pop-up spread — **Santa Monica**Santa Monica's pier opened in 1909 and its amusement pier in 1916; today the Ferris wheel's top turns 130 feet above the Pacific.

**Santa Monica**Santa Monica's pier opened in 1909 and its amusement pier in 1916; today the Ferris wheel's top turns 130 feet above the Pacific.

Mexico City

Ciudad de MéxicoOne-time purchase

**Mexico City**Built from 1573 to 1813, the Metropolitan Cathedral faces the Zócalo, laid out over the heart of Tenochtitlan.

Mexico City: the Palacio de Bellas Artes and the Alameda, a pop-up spread — **Palacio de Bellas Artes**Begun by Adamo Boari in 1904 and opened in 1934, Mexico’s palace of the arts stands in white marble under domes of orange and golden tiles.

**Palacio de Bellas Artes**Begun by Adamo Boari in 1904 and opened in 1934, Mexico’s palace of the arts stands in white marble under domes of orange and golden tiles.

Mexico City: trajineras on the canals of Xochimilco, a pop-up spread — **Xochimilco**Painted trajineras glide between the chinampas, the ‘floating gardens’ built on the lake about a thousand years ago and held in place by the roots of ahuejote willows.

**Xochimilco**Painted trajineras glide between the chinampas, the ‘floating gardens’ built on the lake about a thousand years ago and held in place by the roots of ahuejote willows.

New York

One-time purchase

**New York**A narrow island of steel and glass. At dusk ten thousand windows light up, and out in the harbour Liberty lifts her torch.

New York: the Statue of Liberty, a pop-up spread — **Statue of Liberty**A gift from the people of France, designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and dedicated in 1886.

**Statue of Liberty**A gift from the people of France, designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and dedicated in 1886.

New York: Central Park and Bow Bridge, a pop-up spread — **Central Park**Olmsted and Vaux laid out this green heart of Manhattan; Bow Bridge has arched over the Lake since 1862.

**Central Park**Olmsted and Vaux laid out this green heart of Manhattan; Bow Bridge has arched over the Lake since 1862.

Paris

One-time purchase

**Paris**Gustave Eiffel’s company built the iron tower for the World’s Fair of 1889: 300 metres of puddled iron, the tallest structure in the world until 1930.

Paris: Sacré-Cœur on Montmartre, a pop-up spread — **Sacré-Cœur**Built of white travertine between 1875 and 1914, the basilica crowns the Butte Montmartre, the highest hill in Paris.

**Sacré-Cœur**Built of white travertine between 1875 and 1914, the basilica crowns the Butte Montmartre, the highest hill in Paris.

Paris: Notre-Dame and the bouquinistes, a pop-up spread — **Notre-Dame**Begun in 1163 on the Île de la Cité, Notre-Dame reopened in December 2024 after five years of restoration, its spire rebuilt as Viollet-le-Duc drew it.

**Notre-Dame**Begun in 1163 on the Île de la Cité, Notre-Dame reopened in December 2024 after five years of restoration, its spire rebuilt as Viollet-le-Duc drew it.

San Francisco

One-time purchase

**San Francisco**Across Alamo Square, seven Queen Anne houses built by Matthew Kavanaugh in 1892–96 stand on Steiner Street, with downtown behind them.

San Francisco: the bridge across the Golden Gate, the Marin Headlands beyond, a pop-up spread — **The Golden Gate**The bridge across the Golden Gate opened on 27 May 1937; its towers rise 746 feet over the strait, painted the International Orange Irving Morrow chose.

**The Golden Gate**The bridge across the Golden Gate opened on 27 May 1937; its towers rise 746 feet over the strait, painted the International Orange Irving Morrow chose.

San Francisco: a cable car climbing Hyde Street above the bay, a pop-up spread — **Hyde Street**The cable cars climb Russian Hill gripping a steel cable that runs under the street, as Andrew Hallidie's first car did on Clay Street in 1873.

**Hyde Street**The cable cars climb Russian Hill gripping a steel cable that runs under the street, as Andrew Hallidie's first car did on Clay Street in 1873.

Seoul

서울One-time purchase

**Seoul**Gwanghwamun's painted gate guards the old palace beneath the peaks. At dusk the lanterns glow.

Seoul: N Seoul Tower on Namsan, a pop-up spread — **N Seoul Tower**Atop Namsan, the tower has welcomed visitors since 1980. A little cable car climbs the wooded hill.

**N Seoul Tower**Atop Namsan, the tower has welcomed visitors since 1980. A little cable car climbs the wooded hill.

Seoul: Bukchon Hanok Village, a pop-up spread — **Bukchon Hanok Village**Between two Joseon palaces, Bukchon has been a quarter of homes for six hundred years.

**Bukchon Hanok Village**Between two Joseon palaces, Bukchon has been a quarter of homes for six hundred years.

Sydney

One-time purchase

**Sydney**Opened on 19 March 1932, the great steel arch Sydneysiders call the Coathanger carries trains, cars, cyclists and walkers from The Rocks to the North Shore.

Sydney: Bondi Beach, a pop-up spread — **Bondi Beach**Golden sand between sandstone headlands, open to the Tasman Sea. Volunteer lifesavers have patrolled it since 1907: swim between the red and yellow flags.

**Bondi Beach**Golden sand between sandstone headlands, open to the Tasman Sea. Volunteer lifesavers have patrolled it since 1907: swim between the red and yellow flags.

Sydney: The Rocks and Circular Quay, a pop-up spread — **The Rocks**Warrane, Sydney Cove, is Gadigal country, where the First Fleet landed in 1788. The Rocks grew up on its western shore: sandstone lanes, pubs and warehouses.

**The Rocks**Warrane, Sydney Cove, is Gadigal country, where the First Fleet landed in 1788. The Rocks grew up on its western shore: sandstone lanes, pubs and warehouses.

Tokyo

One-time purchase

**Tokyo**Opened in 1993, the Rainbow Bridge carries the Yurikamome, named for Tokyo's bird, the black-headed gull, to Odaiba and its island forts, begun in 1853.

Tokyo: Sensō-ji's Thunder Gate and its great red lantern, a pop-up spread — **Sensō-ji**Tokyo's oldest temple, founded in 628 for a statue of Kannon that two fishermen drew from the Sumida, is entered through the Kaminarimon, the Thunder Gate, under its great red lantern.

**Sensō-ji**Tokyo's oldest temple, founded in 628 for a statue of Kannon that two fishermen drew from the Sumida, is entered through the Kaminarimon, the Thunder Gate, under its great red lantern.

Tokyo: the Shibuya scramble crossing at dusk, a pop-up spread — **Shibuya Crossing**Every couple of minutes the traffic stops on all sides and the crowd crosses at once: a thousand people or more, over five crosswalks, one of them on the diagonal.

**Shibuya Crossing**Every couple of minutes the traffic stops on all sides and the crowd crosses at once: a thousand people or more, over five crosswalks, one of them on the diagonal.

Washington, D.C.

One-time purchase

**Washington, D.C.**The cherry trees round the Tidal Basin began with Tokyo's gift of 3,020 in 1912; beyond them rises the Washington Monument, its marble changing shade where building stopped in 1854.

Washington, D.C.: the White House's north front from Lafayette Square, a pop-up spread — **The White House**Home to every president since John Adams in 1800, this house of white-painted sandstone was burned in 1814, rebuilt, and officially named the White House in 1901.

**The White House**Home to every president since John Adams in 1800, this house of white-painted sandstone was burned in 1814, rebuilt, and officially named the White House in 1901.

Washington, D.C.: the Lincoln Memorial doubled in the Reflecting Pool, a pop-up spread — **Lincoln Memorial**Henry Bacon's marble temple, dedicated in 1922, has 36 columns, one for each state in the Union when Lincoln died. Inside, Daniel Chester French's Lincoln looks down the Reflecting Pool.

**Lincoln Memorial**Henry Bacon's marble temple, dedicated in 1922, has 36 columns, one for each state in the Union when Lincoln died. Inside, Daniel Chester French's Lincoln looks down the Reflecting Pool.

A live window

Or see the city as it is right now.

Classic is how the book has always looked. Switch an open book to Live and you see the city as it is right now: its own sun, rising and setting at the real hour, and its real weather, from rain on the Thames to snow in Seoul.

Lay the book flat, and dusk still falls in both. The weather is the city's: the app never asks where you are.

The chip on an open book: 20:00 in Seoul, a moon and a snow cloud — Tap the chip on an open book.

Seoul's Bukchon Hanok Village in Classic: the book as it was printed, in the afternoon light, a pop-up spread — **Classic**Bukchon as it was printed.

Seoul's Bukchon Hanok Village in Live: night, windows lit and snow falling, a pop-up spread — **Live**20:00 in Seoul, and snowing.

Things to find

Every spread hides three secrets.

The ravens of the Tower of London, a black squirrel in a Washington elm, a night heron on the Chicago River: 117 in all. Tap one to find it, and its story appears under the book.

The passport, a button on the shelf, keeps a stamp for each one you find. Some only appear at night, in the snow or at Christmas.

Tower Bridge open flat, and under the book a found detail: The Tower's ravens. At least six ravens are kept at the Tower of London, where legend says the kingdom will fall if they ever leave. — Found: the Tower's ravens.

Barcelona's page in the passport: seven stamps, and two details still to find — Barcelona's page in the passport.

The traveller

A little paper plane goes with you.

It circles a tower on a line, rides a cable car up Namsan and lands beside a guitarist in Park Güell. Look for it on every page.

The shelf

Start with Barcelona. It's free.

Chicago, Kyoto, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Seoul, Sydney, Tokyo and Washington, D.C. are each a one-time purchase. Or get Every City: every book on the shelf today, and every city we add.

Barcelona's terracotta cloth cover, stamped in gold — BarcelonaFree

Chicago's prairie-olive cloth cover, stamped in gold — ChicagoOne-time purchase

Kyoto's torii-vermilion cloth cover, stamped in gold — KyotoOne-time purchase

London's racing-green cloth cover, stamped in gold — LondonOne-time purchase

Los Angeles's adobe-ochre cloth cover, stamped in gold — Los AngelesOne-time purchase

Mexico City's rosa mexicano cloth cover, stamped in gold — Mexico CityOne-time purchase

New York's verdigris cloth cover, stamped in gold — New YorkOne-time purchase

Paris's claret cloth cover, stamped in gold — ParisOne-time purchase

San Francisco's cable-car mahogany cloth cover, stamped in gold — San FranciscoOne-time purchase

Seoul's indigo cloth cover, stamped in gold — SeoulOne-time purchase

Sydney's harbour-blue cloth cover, stamped in gold — SydneyOne-time purchase

Tokyo's Edo-purple cloth cover, stamped in gold — TokyoOne-time purchase

Washington, D.C.'s slate-blue cloth cover, stamped in gold — Washington, D.C.One-time purchase

Every City

Every book on the shelf, and every city we add, forever. One purchase.

Real paper engineering

Every card stands on a real fold. The book is tested at every angle, so no card ever passes through another.

A music box on every page

Each spread has its own little tune and its own sounds: bells, ferries, a gayageum. All of it made in code.

Rock the book

Tip it, and the city answers: boats rock, lanterns sway, the plane swings wider.

On your table

In AR, set the book down on a real table, walk around it and turn its pages.

Printed like an old atlas

Cream paper, gold-foil covers, compass roses and italic place names, all drawn from scratch.

Quiet by design

No ads, no account, no tracking, no data collected. And VoiceOver reads every page.

Unfold Your City

Open your phone. The city rises.

Free on the App Store, with Barcelona on the shelf and, from 1 November to 6 January, the Advent calendar. For iPhone; made for iPhone Duo.

Questions, or a city you'd like next? Write to info@pietromessineo.com.