Sky and Earth

Giuseppe Mussardo is full professor of Theoretical Physics at SISSA. Author of several articles on the history of science and documentary films, he was awarded the 2013 Prize of Società Italiana di Fisica for Science Dissemination. His previous book, The ABC’s of Science (L’alfabeto della scienza), has been translated by Springer.Gaspare Polizzi is a professor of Social Pedagogy at the University of Pisa and is the author of many books. He studies the relation between art and science, and the history of scientific and philosophical thinking.

• Prologue.- The Merchant and the Poet.- Ordinary Geniuses and Sorcerers.- The Gigantic Crystal.- The Enigma of the Lost Manuscript.- The Disease of Writing.- In the Darkness of Hell.- The Hill of Purgatory.- The Light of Heaven.- The Troubles of Botticelli.- A Non-Existent Book.- Diplomatic Missions.- The Art of Traveling.- The Endless Quarrels.- Venice and Florence.- The Opening of the Thirteenth Century.- The World Seen from Rialto. An Extraordinary Republic.- The Horses of San Marco.- The Art of Wool.- At the Roots of Hatred.- International Intrigue.- "How Other People's Bread Tastes Like Salt".