When my daughter Catherine and I went to explore the Galileo Museum, a query came to light: “Who was Galileo Galilei?”
Surprisingly, she initially referred to Galileo as a “scientist”. Galileo was a really amazing person who was not just good at science. He was a famous astronomer who studied the stars, a clever physicist who had great ideas, and an inventor who made cool things. His ideas and work in science were so important that they started a big change in how people thought about the world. This change happened a long time ago, in the 1600s, and it was the beginning of modern science.
At present, the Galileo Museum boasts a vast collection of more than a thousand valuable scientific and astronomical instruments, formerly treasured by both the Medici and subsequently by the Lorraine dynasty. The Medici had special rooms in their palace and the Uffizi where they showcased maps and math tools. They really loved exploring science. These visionary pioneers have laid the foundation for what has now evolved into the “Museum of Specola”.
It houses really cool wax figures of body parts. The museum was closed for a while, but it will open again on February 22nd 2024.
People have always been really interested in looking at the stars and the sky. It’s been a special thing for a long time, especially for the Egyptians who loved it a lot. As humanity has learned more about the universe, people discovered the way they used to think about the planets was wrong. Instead of thinking the Earth was the center, they found out that the sun is actually the center and the planets go around it. Galileo had a great idea about how to explain the Earth and other planets move around the sun. He made a special tool called a telescope to help him see things far away, and now you can see it at the museum with the special glasses he used.
In a special room with a statue of Galileo, we found lots of cool scientific tools.
And guess what?
We also found Galileo’s own preserved finger! It’s a very special and rare thing to see in a science museum.
Even though he faced many challenges during his life, it took almost 100 years after he died for him to be honored with a special tomb in a very important church, Santa Croce. This church is like a special place where important Italian people are remembered and celebrated.
In the last room on the bottom floor, there are machines that Caterina got to use to learn more about physics. This part of the museum is for kids and teenagers to try out the machines and feel like a scientist. Come and visit Museo Galileo with a friendly guide! Don’t forget to go inside the Basilica of Santa Croce and see the special tomb of Galileo. It’s a really cool place to explore and learn about his amazing work!
