Ritorno radiativo per la misura di R: come e perche

The measurement of the pion form factor and, more generally, of the cross section for electron--positron annihilation into hadrons through the radiative return has become an important task for high luminosity colliders such as the $\Phi$- or $B$-meson factories. This quantity is crucial for predictions of the hadronic contributions to $(g-2)_\mu$, the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, and to the running of the electromagnetic coupling. But the radiative return opens also the possibility of many other physical applications. The physics potential of this method at high luminosity meson factories is discussed and recent results are reviewed.