Wonders of the world - Alessandro Capodiferro

The world has moved on from the original seven wonders of antiquity: its cities have expanded exponentially, its monumental buildings have grown in size and number and art has entered the life of every man. During the course of the centuries great civilisations and great noble houses have contributed to the construction throughout the globe of monuments and palaces, towers and bridges worthy of a place in history for their beauty and grandiosity. Of this immense architectural and engineering heritage we have chosen the one hundred works of human genius that best represent a culture and paid tribute to them through spectacular images. This is no arbitrary selection of objects d'arte, but rather a considered survey that extrapolates from the cauldron of successive civilizations, the most beautiful and symbolic constructions, those that have had the greatest impact on the collective consciousness. Some are fruit of the genius of a few extraordinary individuals; others required the labours of thousands of men or highly advanced technology; still others have challenged the millennia to bear testimony to the grandeur of human achievement in remote eras.;This book intends to take readers on a remarkable journey through the most fabulous places, in search of the most beautiful works and humanity's most precious jewels. It is a collection of remarkable reports, allowing us to appreciate the perspectives, the details and the forms of the one hundred wonders of the planet. Informative texts introduce the individual chapters, each dedicated to an individual monument. Brief captions will help readers identify the subjects photographed.