The Camposanto Monumentale of Pisa. A guide

Pacini,2024. 120pp, 180 illus. -- Descrizione «The guide presented here was written with the ambition of providing the “passeggiere dilettante” with a tool that may help him or her find their way among the wondrously rich – indeed, immeasurable – collection of artworks found in the Camposanto. Paintings and sculptures from different and sometimes very distant ages, which can serve as signposts on the road to a geography of artistic and historical facts relating to the Piazza del Duomo. Ancient survivors (the sarcophagi), a remarkable array of medieval and Renaissance art (frescoes and monuments) and the marble wonders of the Baroque and Neoclassical periods, not forgetting the Historicism of the 19th century. The writing of a guidebook entails the risk of verbosity. A guidebook is something you consult while standing in front of the work, as the wind whips your scarf and your shoulder bag threatens to fall, so it needs to be user-friendly; unlike novels, which are for reading while seated comfortably at home. In our youth we read Jorge Luis Borges’ wonderful story about the map of the empire which, to be exact, must be on a scale of 1:1, resulting in a tracing as precise as it is useless. Here, we attempt to offer a less detailed but still useable map, choosing not to examine everything you’ll find in the Camposanto, only what serves to facilitate its understanding and enjoyment Like all choices, ours is naturally arguable, and others may have written the guide differently and perhaps more cleverly, but for me there’s a small but worthwhile advantage: I wrote it, and I’m satisfied.» Stefano Renzoni.…