Anno/Year
130 pagine/pages
36 illustrazioni/illustrations.
13x20 cm.
ISBN 978-88-3384-264-6
€16.00
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Altre pubblicazioni di Valeria Rondoni
Albert Einstein e Firenze
Altre pubblicazioni di Paolo Bulletti
Albert Einstein e Firenze
Valeria Rondoni
Paolo Bulletti
Albert Einstein and Florence
Tales and Events of Family, Beauty, Music and Science
An old book, a dedication written by two women who had spent most of their lives beside the world’s most famous scientist, and a deep passion for physics, music, and Florentine history inspired the writing of this volume about Albert Einstein and his family’s years in Tuscany.
Arriving in Florence at the end of October 1921, on his way to Bologna where he was to give a series of lectures on relativity, the scientist stayed at the home of his sister Maja, who had recently moved with her husband to live between Florence and Fiesole. On that hill, Einstein discovered the Convent of San Francesco, then a vibrant cultural circle animated by a friar who expressed himself not only through spirituality but also through the notes of the church organ. Einstein at first listened, then, with the violin he always carried with him, began to play duets with him.
In this book, the memories of the author’s grandmother, who in the early 1970s met several times with Margot Einstein, the scientist’s adopted daughter, and Helen Dukas, his devoted secretary and biographer, at the small house in Princeton, New Jersey, where Einstein had lived and taught, help to illuminate the Florentine chapter of the Einstein family’s story.
Each visit became an opportunity to recall the beauty of those places and to share memories of the years when the scientist’s growing international fame intertwined with the often troubled events that marked his family’s life in Tuscany.
This is not only a collection of personal memories and historical reconstructions: the narrative fabric of the book is enriched by evocative quotations and scientific reflections that draw the reader into the intimate world of a scientific genius, capturing both his essence and the human story behind it.
On October 18, 1921, Albert Einstein arrived in Florence. Waiting for him with open arms were his sister Maja and her husband Paul, who had chosen the city as their home. Sensitive to every form of beauty, Einstein was so captivated by Florence that years later he confessed, “I feel half drunk when I merely imagine the sky, the hills, and the palaces of Florence.” These words sum up a bond with the city that lasted a lifetime. During those days, he was also able to nurture his second great passion after science, music. He always traveled with his violin, which he would also play on the hills of Fiesole. Italy honored and cherished him even during the most difficult times for a scientist of his stature, yet a Jew. This book retraces the story of Einstein and his family in Tuscany.
Valeria Rondoni è un’autrice e consulente attiva nei campi della divulgazione scientifica, della sostenibilità ambientale e dell’arte. Dopo aver conseguito un Master di secondo livello in Storia presso l’Università di Firenze, con specializzazione in Storia delle Religioni, ha intrapreso attività accademica come docente di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, insegnando in università americane con sede a Firenze, tra cui Richmond College, Studio Art Centers International e Polimoda. Parallelamente ha partecipato a numerosi progetti culturali tra Firenze e Milano, collaborando con galleristi, artisti contemporanei e realtà operanti nei settori dell’architettura e della ricerca scientifica. Per oltre venticinque anni ha tenuto incontri e conferenze su temi teosofici. Collabora con la Fondazione EWA (Earth and Water Agenda), organizzazione impegnata nella promozione delle tecnologie ambientali e nella gestione sostenibile delle risorse idriche. Tra i suoi scritti: Le parole che dico all’acqua e Perché dipingono: motivi e passioni di artisti moderni. Per bambini e ragazzi ha scritto Il topino dei denti, VivaCity, Le paperelle degli Oceani, The Friendly Floatees e La Strega Violina. In ambito poetico Multi-me, BaseLoba, Il Nuovo Liceo Fantasia e The New Energy High School.
Valeria Rondoni is an author and consultant active in the fields of scientific dissemination, environmental sustainability, and art. After obtaining a second-level Master's degree in History from the University of Florence, specializing in the History of Religions, she embarked on an academic career as a lecturer in Modern and Contemporary Art, teaching at American universities based in Florence, including Richmond College, Studio Art Centers International, and Polimoda. At the same time, she participated in numerous cultural projects in Florence and Milan, collaborating with gallery owners, contemporary artists, and organizations operating in the fields of architecture and scientific research. For over twenty-five years, she has held meetings and conferences on theosophical topics. She collaborates with the EWA (Earth and Water Agenda) Foundation, an organization committed to promoting environmental technologies and sustainable water resource management. His writings include: Le parole che dico all'acqua (The Words I Say to Water) and Perché dipingono: motivi e passioni di artisti moderni (Why They Paint: Motives and Passions of Modern Artists). For children and young adults, he has written Il topino dei denti (The Tooth Mouse), VivaCity, Le paperelle degli Oceani (The Ducks of the Oceans), The Friendly Floatees, and La Strega Violina (The Violin Witch). In the field of poetry, he has written Multi-me, BaseLoba, Il Nuovo Liceo Fantasia (The New Fantasy High School), and The New Energy High School.
Paolo Bulletti è architetto e consulente immobiliare. Nel suo lavoro di progettista e nella sua attività didattica presso università americane e l'Università di Firenze, la sua ricerca si è sempre focalizzata sul rapporto tra l’uomo e lo spazio, inteso come entità che viene vissuta dinamicamente nel tempo: come le persone vivono gli spazi progettati nel loro scorrere temporale, una riflessione che lo ha naturalmente avvicinato alla fisica relativistica e alla figura di Einstein.
Ha pubblicato con Il Sole 24 Ore il volume Le parole del progetto e tenuto per alcuni anni una rubrica in inglese nella rivista Arketipo sui temi della sostenibilità; per Tecniche Nuove ha pubblicato il dizionario Inglese per l'Architettura. Per Giunti ha curato il catalogo della mostra Frank Lloyd Wright a Fiesole 100 anni dopo, di cui è stato anche co-organizzatore, esperienza che lo ha portato ad approfondire la storia del territorio fiorentino da cui prende avvio questo libro.
Come per Einstein, la musica rappresenta per lui la necessaria controparte all'attività intellettuale: se il fisico trovava rifugio nel rigore di Mozart e Bach, Bulletti lo cerca da anni nelle armonie e nell'improvvisazione del jazz.
Paolo Bulletti is an architect and real estate consultant. Throughout his design career and his academic work at various American universities and the University of Florence, his research has consistently focused on the relationship between humanity and space. He perceives space as a dynamic entity experienced through the passage of time—exploring how people inhabit designed environments as they unfold temporally—a reflection that naturally drew him toward relativistic physics and the figure of Albert Einstein.
He is the author of Le parole del progetto (The Words of Design) with Il Sole 24 Ore and contributed to a long-running English-language column on sustainability for the magazine Arketipo. With Tecniche Nuove he published the dictionary Inglese per l'Architettura (English for Architecture). For Giunti he edited the catalog for the exhibition Frank Lloyd Wright a Fiesole 100 anni dopo (Frank Lloyd Wright in Fiesole 100 Years Later), which he also co-organized, an experience that led him to deeply explore the history of the Florentine territory where this book begins.
Much like Einstein, music serves as a vital counterpoint to his intellectual pursuits: while the physicist found refuge in the rigor of Mozart and Bach, Bulletti has long found his in the harmonies and improvisation of jazz.
