On the 850th anniversary of the laying of the first stone of the Cathedral Bell Tower, which took place on 9 August 1174 in the Pisan style, the State Archives, with the patronage of the Department of Culture of the Municipality of Pisa and the collaboration of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna Alumni Association, present an exhibition entitled 850 in balance, History, beauty and iconography of the Tower of Pisa, to be held from May 25 to June 25 at Palazzo Toscanelli.
Through the maps preserved in Palazzo Toscanelli, the exhibition traces the history of the construction of the Tower of Pisa, characterised by interruptions and resumptions that, between the 12th and 14th centuries, were a consequence of the well-known engineering and geological complexity that characterised both the shape of the building and the type of ground on which it stands.
The story begins at the beginning of the second millennium with the parchments of donations of land and annuities that went to substantiate first the patrimony of the Bishopric and the Canons of the Cathedral Chapter, then of the Opera del Duomo, a civil body dedicated to the construction of the monumental complex that still ensures its maintenance today. On display are, among others, the oldest act of donation preserved in the State Archives, dated 6 March 930, and donations in several papers by Countess Matilda of Canossa from the early 12th century. This is followed by news related to the foundation stone laying ceremony, an event celebrated with great pomp as was customary in the Middle Ages, found in chronicles and documents that precisely record the day.
The exhibition then continues with the late Middle Ages, characterised by the maintenance work and the provisions on the use of the lawn adjacent to the Tower, at the time used for various activities including falcon training, testifying the vitality of the place as a meeting point that is still part of the usual scenario of the life of every Pisan citizen.
A separate section is dedicated to the iconographic fortune of the Bell Tower, with some works from the Menchini Fabris family collection.
Alongside the exhibition, a series of meetings with Luca Nannipieri, Stefano Renzoni and Gabriella Garzella will help to better understand the many "souls" of the Leaning Tower of Pisa: from a building erected to demonstrate the power of Pisa and its avant-garde technical skills, to an immortal icon in pictorial and graphic art, up to its consecration as a model of classical architecture and as such still full of meaning for those who visit it.
The exhibition will be inaugurated by a concert, organised by the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies Alumni Association, as part of the event "Pur bella la vita. Musiche nei luoghi storici di Pisa" this year makes a stop in the extraordinary setting of the State Archives. During the evening, as part of the project "Il canto dei bambini" (The children's song), proposed for 2024, the association is promoting fundraising in favour of the IRCSS Fondazione Stella Maris of Pisa-Calambrone.
The exhibition will be open from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and on event days.
Below is the complete calendar of events (free admission):
25 May
4.45 p.m. - Musical greeting by the Allievi Choir Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna; music by Tallis and traditional gospel.
5.00 p.m. - 7.00 p.m. - Seminar "Stop and listen: emotional and cognitive regulation in an evolutionary perspective" organised by the IRCCS - Stella Maris Foundation - led by Dr. Annarita Milone and Dr. Gianluca Sesso. The Foundation offers citizens, educators, psychologists, teachers and families an informative moment focused on the theme of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which currently affects many young people. Together with the framing of the problem during the meeting, a research project will be presented, to be implemented with the funds raised, concerning the study of the application of music therapy in children and adolescents with ADHD as a combined intervention with cognitive-behavioural therapy.
9.00 p.m. - concert by the Ensemble "I bei legami", in collaboration with the Ex allievi Association, entitled "L'età Galante nel Barocco. The prodromes of Classicism through the Italian, German and Austrian Baroque"; music by Vivaldi, Telemann, Pachelbel, Mozart. (Reservation recommended but not mandatory at the email address: purbellalavita@gmail.com)
30 May
5.30 p.m. - 'The Tower of Pisa. An Icon'.
Dialogue with Stefano Renzoni
6 June
5.30 p.m. - "What are the classics?
Dialogue with Luca Nannipieri
13 June
5.30 p.m. - "The Tower of Pisa. History of a factory"
Dialogue with Gabriella Garzella
