A Brief History of the Leaning Tower of Pisa
by Piero Pierotti (Author), Pacini (Editor), Gary Feuerstein (Translator and Illustrator)
This book is a history of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, written by Piero Pierotti, a professor of Art and Architectural history at the University of Pisa. Prof. Pierotti has spent a good portion of his career documenting the history and enriching the meaning of the Tower relative to contemporary issues. With permission of the author and publisher, the book has now been translated from the Italian, and is ready for publication. It is about 26,500 words, includes 40 images, graphics and details of the tower. This history covers the 830 years since the initiation of construction in 1173. It resolves the question of the Architect, expands the meaning and architectural context of the Tower, develops the circumstances the led to the absurdity of the lean, and elaborates on the foibles surrounding the efforts to correct the lean, including a blunder in 1995 under the supervision of a team of world renowned experts that very nearly toppled the fragile structure. The professor also provides first-hand insight into the events leading to the close of the Tower in 1990, its turbulent recovery over an 11 year period, and the events and characters that contributed to the success of the corrective measures to save the Tower. This history is written by one who is uniquely qualified to interpret the importance of the Tower historically, architecturally, and culturally on both a local and international level. This is the professor‘s second book on the Tower, the first one having been How Not To Save the Tower?, which set the tone for a decade of ultimately successful renovation.