Tilt
The Skewed Tale of the Tower of Pisa
Seiten
2004
|
New edition
Pocket Books (Verlag)
978-0-7434-5069-0 (ISBN)
Pocket Books (Verlag)
978-0-7434-5069-0 (ISBN)
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In this unconventional biography, the author recounts the tower's rich history, from its abortive beginnings in 1173 through to its ongoing stabilization today, and examines the various symbolisms that have projected on it throughout the ages.
The campanile or bell tower in Pisa's Campo dei Miracoli would be one of the most famous and attractive buildings in the world even if it stood straight and true. The fact that it settled into a distinctive - and eventually alarming - tilt soon after its construction has made the tower an icon. Now the bell tower is instantly recognisable shorthand not just for Pisa but for Italy as a whole. Originally designed as a display of wealth and power in Pisa's heyday, successive generations have used it as a symbol to their own ends. For Percy Bysshe Shelley and his Pisan circle it had the romantic power of a ruin; during the Second World War it was a suspected enemy hideout, and only very narrowly escaped being bombed. Today, having been saved from dramatic collapse by a British soil mechanic, it is an architectural phenomenon and tourist money-spinner. In a hugely entertaining and informative narrative that features such vibrant characters as Dante, Machiavelli, Galileo and Il Duce, Nicholas Shrady finally reveals the secret history of the world's most famous architectural oddity.
The campanile or bell tower in Pisa's Campo dei Miracoli would be one of the most famous and attractive buildings in the world even if it stood straight and true. The fact that it settled into a distinctive - and eventually alarming - tilt soon after its construction has made the tower an icon. Now the bell tower is instantly recognisable shorthand not just for Pisa but for Italy as a whole. Originally designed as a display of wealth and power in Pisa's heyday, successive generations have used it as a symbol to their own ends. For Percy Bysshe Shelley and his Pisan circle it had the romantic power of a ruin; during the Second World War it was a suspected enemy hideout, and only very narrowly escaped being bombed. Today, having been saved from dramatic collapse by a British soil mechanic, it is an architectural phenomenon and tourist money-spinner. In a hugely entertaining and informative narrative that features such vibrant characters as Dante, Machiavelli, Galileo and Il Duce, Nicholas Shrady finally reveals the secret history of the world's most famous architectural oddity.
NICHOLAS SHRADY is the author of SACRED ROADS: ADVENTURES FROM THE PILGRIMAGE TRAIL. His articles, profiles and reviews have appeared in ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST, THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW, TRAVEL & LEISURE, FORBES and TOWN & COUNTRY among other publications.
Erscheint lt. Verlag | 17.8.2004 |
---|---|
Zusatzinfo | Illustrations |
Verlagsort | New York |
Sprache | englisch |
Maße | 130 x 180 mm |
Themenwelt | Bildbände ► Europa ► Italien |
Technik ► Architektur | |
ISBN-10 | 0-7434-5069-8 / 0743450698 |
ISBN-13 | 978-0-7434-5069-0 / 9780743450690 |
Zustand | Neuware |
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