La Torre di Pisa. Viaggio fotografico e storico. The Leaning Tower of Pisa. A Photographic and Historical Journey

The Bell Tower of the Pisa Cathedral was built over a period of around 200 years; the proof of the date of its foundation, in August 1173, can be found in an epigraph attributed to Biduino. Many historians have examined the events surrounding its construction, which suffered a number of incidents along the way and suspensions in the construction works: the first took place at the height of the third storey, in around 1178, and lasted more than ninety years; the second in 1278, when the base of the bell house was built, up to 1360, starting date of the construction of the bell house, which was completed ten years later. At the same time as the history of the construction of the bell-tower, the history of its lean also begins, being confirmed from the second period of activity onwards (1272-1278). Since then, there have been many interventions carried out to protect the tower (just think of last Committee, the 16th since the Unity of Italy). The exhibition and symposium "The leaning tower of Pisa: ten years of restoration" look into the methods used by the last Committee to safeguard the Tower and its restoration. The need to tell a story that started more than eight centuries ago, and to communicate the scientific contents (which are often not easy to read) of the works carried out in the past few years on one hand, and on the other to create a final product that can be useful to both a generic, mixed public and to a targeted public with higher and more specific backgrounds, has led us to present this volume as a story, using an immediate language, and using pictures more than texts. People of all ages and cultures will therefore be able to understand and appreciate the Tower of Pisa and the technologies that have been used to protect it and return it to humanity.