Every design for Kaarina

Ask where Finland's oldest known church stood, and the answer is Kaarina. Its remains were uncovered at Ravattula, in the middle of a burial ground that is nearly a thousand years old. Kaarina lies just south of Turku in Southwest Finland, with Lieto, Paimio and Parainen as neighbours and Sauvo across the water, and its landscape is one of rocky hills and the island of Kuusisto.

There is a quiet sense of deep time here. On Kuusisto stand the ruins of a medieval bishops' castle, torn down on the orders of Gustav Vasa, and Swedish troops once came ashore at Lemunniemi during the Finnish War, where a memorial now marks the battle. Mattelmäen kartano and hills such as Korsuvuori and Valkokallio give everyday walks a view, and Kino Piispanristi is the largest independent cinema in the region. The artist Tom of Finland was born in Kaarina, and Piikkiö has been part of the town since the two merged.

On the map, Kaarina runs right up against Turku, and anyone who grew up here knows exactly where one ends and the other begins.