Published by Marsilio in English with a separate edition in Italian, the book is a multi-voice account of the main technological innovations introduced by Pirelli, and of the leading personalities in the world of research from when the company was founded in 1872 through to the present day. The book contains contributions from representatives of the institutions, including Maria Cristina Messa, the Minister of University and Research, Ferruccio Resta and Guido Saracco, the rectors of the Politecnico Universities of Milan and Turin, and great Italian and international authors, such as Ian McEwan, Geoff Mulgan and David Weinberger, as well as leading lights from the world of art and culture, such as Renzo Piano and Salvatore Accardo.
The volume is richly illustrated with items from the company’s Historical Archive and it contains a new photo shoot, commissioned from the photographer Carlo Furgeri Gilbert, in the Research & Development laboratories of the Pirelli Headquarters in Milano Bicocca. Through his lens, the photographer has interpreted the world of science and research at Pirelli, which is increasingly focused on raw materials and on innovative and sustainable materials. Innovation is also the result of the most advanced virtual experimentation, with tests on prototypes carried out in the laboratories in Milan and in the various technology centres across the world.
A century and a half of history, with an eye to a future that is already here today.