The museum, formerly the ‘Museum of the History of Science’ of Florence, is dedicated to the famous Tuscan scientist, Galileo Galilei, to whom we owe great astronomical discoveries and the birth of the scientific method. It is a museum derived directly from the Museum of Physics and Natural Sciences commissioned by Pietro Leopoldo of Lorraine. It is organised according to chronological and thematic criteria and houses the main nuclei of the Medici (15th to 18th centuries) and Lorraine (18th and 19th centuries) collections of scientific instruments.
The themes range from astronomy to the measurement of time and space, from geography and cartography to meteorology, from mechanics to optics, from electricity and magnetism to chemistry and pharmacy. Of particular interest are the Renaissance mathematical and astronomical instruments and the section dedicated to Galileo, with frescoes and bas-reliefs depicting Galilean discoveries and the great scientist's instruments.
The museum offers a rich programme of educational activities, guided tours and workshops for children and families.
Museo Galileo
Piazza dei Giudici, 1, 50122 Firenze FI, Italia
Visitors with motor disabilities can access the museum from the entrance at Lungarno Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici n. 2 (ask the operator through the intercom). Inside, the museum is fully accessible thanks to a stair lift, which also holds motorized wheelchairs. A manual wheelchair is provided by the museum upon request. Accessible toilets are available on each floor.
People with visual impairment can experience a tactile route by touching original instruments and some copies in order to understand their functioning and significance in the development of the historical sciences. Admission to the museum is free, the tactile route - to be reserved - costs € 3,00 and is available in Italian and English. Guides in both braille and enlarged characters for the visually impaired are available upon request, and have to be returned at the ticket office at the end of the tour.
