The issue of addition under the sign of contemporaneity, as enshrined in the Carta di Venezia of 1964, leads back to a theoretical and critical path that since the late nineteenth century engaged restorers and architects in the search respect to an innovative relation to history teaching. Following such references the narrative explores the evolutionary steps of the concept of addition that leads to the Carta di Venezia thanks to the critical synthesis of Roberto Pane. The essay retraces those steps through some peculiar experiences, related to the theme of addition: the staircase, as an architectural element that reflects its conceptual evolution over time.
