A place reborn

I had been living in Turin for a few months back then. I had moved in that magnificent city to study, and quickly fell in love with one of my flatmates. When Fabio finally kissed me, I felt like the universe was starting to make sense to me. With him, exploring Turin became incredibly fun, mysterious and exciting. Everything we did, we would try to turn it into a magical little trip. We cycled everywhere. There was not park, alley or parking lot that we were not interested in. We'd take our cameras and try to freeze those moments of perfect warmth and happiness forever.
Fabio always joked about not being conventionally romantic. He was not a flower guy, let's say. Fortunately, I have never been a fussy girl.
But of course, when one day he told me that he'd take me to a special, beautiful place for a romantic pic nic, I started to worry. After half an hour riding, we were still in the very heart of the city, yet in an area that was getting more and more industrial looking. Suddenly, and incredibly majestic curch appeared at the end of the street, red with thin red stripes. I felt like I had been thrown inside one of my favourite distopian films. The building was strangely shaped. The four huge towers on top seemed like abnormous megaphones, aimed at summoning the flock from all over the neighbourhood. And all around the church, we could see what had taken the place of the old city. Massive apartment buildings like ant nests painted the sky of beautiful at times uncoordinated colours. Looking at them, we could just guess what it might have been to live in the old buildings, when only car factory workers stepped those pavements. Finally, at the centre of the crown generated by all the buildings, the weirdest, most amusing park I have ever seen: Parco Dora. Built from the ruines of the old Fiat factory, this park had given a new life to those immensely tall iron pillars. Some of the old concrete walls had been decorated with majestic mural paintings. Between metal and concrete, stairs and bolts, we could see grass, trees, peace. Children were playing basketball or skating. Some other couples were snuggling (which I could not wait to do myself). We took so many incredible photos that day. Then we sat under the shade of a tree and just rested there.
I could not believe that something like the dead skeleton of an old factory could become a place that I'd carry forever in my heart. A beautiful paradise born out of an industrial nightmare. A place reborn.