Since his youth Michele Bertini, a native of Lucca, had shown a strong predilection for studying the physical and mathematical sciences, for which he was awarded a scholarship to Paris. Subsequent to the tumultuous political events of the last Napoleonic period, Bertini transferred to the University of Bologna where, in 1817, he was awarded a degree in engineering and architecture. Becoming a priest and returning to his native city, he served as calculator/astronomer in the ducal observatory of Marlia, alongside F. X. Zach (1754-1832) and Jean-Louis Pons (1761-1831). Again at assignment of Duke Charles Ludwig of Bourbon (1799-1883) he undertook, 1834, the triangolation of the State of Lucca, which was subsequently to serve as basis for all of the topographical and land-office surveys of the region. After a long period spent in Rome in the capacity of Rector General of the Congregation of the Mother of God, he returned to Lucca in 1856, where he was elected to the illustrious position of vice president of the Lucchese Academy. In addition to his numerous theoretical works of geographic and mathematical nature, such as the Trattato pratico-teorico de’ fiumi [Practical-theoretical treatise on rivers] from 1823, Bertini also invented a precision tachometer for measuring terrestrial surfaces.