I dintorni di Firenze.

Firenze, Angelo Pontecorboli 1998, cm.16,5x24, pp.126, 36 tavole bn. fuori testo, brossura con sopraccoperta figurata.

Firenze, Pontecorboli Editore 2016, cm.14,5x21, pp.100, brossura con copertina figurata a colori. The existence of numerous and seemingly contradictory theories about the Dome of the Cathedral of Florence, as well as its static function and how it was constructed, has created a vast bibliography that is rich in theories but lacking in experimental data, scienti? c results and technical analysis. Th us one speaks of mysteries never solved, above all because today, in the era when science and technology can do almost everything, it is di? cult to think that there are still secrets from the past that no one is able to discover; and that the heroes of architecture history had a genius beyond our comprehension and knowledge. In all this, there must be a great deal of truth, since only enlightened individuals were able to carry out such di? cult tasks with the limited means available in the XV century. Th e system of construction, and the phases of assembly, may always remain a mystery. Many theories can be formulated without ever a? rming with absolute certainty that any one of these is the one followed. Yet, regarding the actual constructive section internal to the structure, one can arrive at sure and unequivocable data. But there is a limit: the structure of the dome presents as a compact and continous whole, and the possibilities for revealing internal portions are quite limited. Respect for the value of the monument allows us to research and study the structure only with non-invasive technologies which, however sophisticated, always leave, by de? nition, a margin of uncertainty.