Speaker:
Bernardino Fantini

Bernardino Fantini, professor of history of medicine and health at the University of Geneva, has prefaced the book by Giovanni Berlinguer titled "Storia della salute. Da privilegio a diritto” (History of Health – From Privilege to Right) and published by Giunti Editore. The book stems from a collation of short writings in which Giovanni Berlinguer, committed to bioethics and health policy in Italy and around the world, collected remarks and ideas, recording facts and references from his extensive studies and readings. A mosaic of information and thoughts that allows us to investigate an issue that affects everyone: the links between medicine and society, between advances in science and ethical limits. The topics covered emphasize the development of modern disciplines – medicine above all - and is closely related to social, economic and collective consciousness.
The meeting is the first of various events that will be organized thanks to the collaboration between the long-lived scientific section of Giunti Editore, and Museo Galileo, which represents, after its recent renovation, the ideal place where both specialized audience and the general public can find stimuli, suggestions and information on the most exciting aspects of modern science.

Experiential Visit in English

This 90-minute entertaining visit is a great way for both adults and children (6 and older) to visit Museo Galileo with a guide to help them better understand both the functions and historical importance behind the scientific developments.  At the conclusion of the visit the native-English speaker guide will demonstrate some replicas of the museum’s instruments in a special area dedicated to the didactics department.

Saturday, February 18,  2012 at 3.00 pm
Saturday, April 7, 2012 at 3.00 pm

Information and reservations
Tel. +39 055 265 311
Fax +39 055 265 3130
E-mail:  weekend@museogalileo.it

Reservations are not required but highly recommended as there are only 30 spots available.

Costs:
2 Euro + Museum entrance fee

Two hundred thousand years ago Homo sapiens began the journey from a small valley in what is today's Ethiopia that led him to colonize the entire planet and to live with other human species, forming the great variety of peoples and cultures that we know. For the first time, an international group of scientists from different disciplines and coordinated by Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza, has reconstructed the roots and routes of human settlement. Geneticists, linguists, anthropologists and paleo-anthropologists have combined the results of their research into a wonderful fresco of the history of human evolution. The result is Homo sapiens. La grande storia della diversità umana (Homo sapiens: The Great History of Human Diversity), an international interactive and multimedia exhibition made up of six sections telling the stories of the adventures and extraordinary travels, largely unknown, which generated the mosaic of human diversity.

Special promotion for Museo Galileo's visitors
For the whole duration of the exhibition "Homo Sapiens", Museo Galileo's visitors will be entitled to reduced entrance fee to the exhibitions running at Palazzo delle Esposizioni, by presenting their entrance ticket to Museo Galileo.
A reduced fee will also be applied to the purchase of the combination ticket for Palazzo delle Esposizioni and Scuderie del Quirinale.

Moto, Luogo e Tempo, by Thomas Hobbes, edited by Gianni Paganini

Wednesday, 19 October 2011, at 4 p.m.

Museo Galileo - Maria Luisa Righini Bonelli Hall

Opening remarks

Paolo Galluzzi, Direttore Museo Galileo

Speakers

Paolo Rossi, Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei

Franco Giudice, Università degli Studi di Bergamo

The editors will participate. The presentation will be conducted in Italian.

3.30 and 4.30 pm

Within the 21st Italian Week of Scientific Culture and on the occasion of the International Year of Chemistry, Museo Galileo will offer special guided visits (in Italian) of its chemistry collections.

The presentation will begin with the extraordinary chemistry cabinet of Grand Duke Peter Leopold, where an actor dressed in epoch costumes will illustrate the chemistry instruments of Museo Galileo and retrace the fascinating history of alchemy up to the birth of modern chemistry.

Reservations are not required. The cost of the activity is included in the entrance fee.

Museo Galileo - Maria Luisa Righini Bonelli Hall

Opening remarks

Paolo Galluzzi, Franco Scaramuzzi, Gerardo Bianco

Speakers

Lucio Bianco, Università di Roma Tor Vergata,
Il Contributo delle Scuole di Ingegneria del Mezzogiorno nell'Italia Unita 

Antonio Graniti, Accademia Nazionale delle Scienze detta dei XL, Accademia dei Georgofili, Aspetti storici dell’Agricoltura nel Mezzogiorno

One hundred and fifty years of scientific progress reconstructed through the history of scientific institutions, schools and scientists in Southern Italy from 1861 to nowadays. An accurate analysis collected in three volumes, which documents how scientific and technological innovations influenced culture and material progress of Southern society.

The presentation will be conducted in Italian.

Museo Galileo - Maria Luisa Righini Bonelli Hall

Speakers:

Marco Bresadola, Paolo Mazzarello and Nicholas J. Wade

The book, by Marco Piccolino and Stanley Finger, is published by Oxford University Press.  It examines a phenomenon with a long history: how did humans describe and interpret the shock produced by three kinds of fishes which exist in various parts of the world.  Electric catfishes are found in Africa, an “eel” in South America, and the torpedo rays swim in many seas. The discovery of the electrical nature of these fishes (by the Englishman John Walsh in the second half of 18th century) was the starting point of two fundamental advances in science: on the physiological side, the demonstration (by Luigi Galvani) that nerve conduction and muscle excitation are electrical phenomena and on the physical side, the invention of the electric battery by Alessandro Volta.

Marco Piccolino, who will participate in the launching, is Professor of General Physiology and Lecturer in Science History at the University of Ferrara.

Stanley Finger is Professor of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology at Washington University in St. Louis.

Five meetings are to be held starting from the 6th of October 2011, every Thursday between 3.30 p.m. and 5,30 p.m., at Museo Galileo. The language of the course is Italian. Lecturers: Massimo Mazzoni, Fabrizio Mazzucconi and Alberto Righini.

The project is sponsored by the Regione Toscana and benefits from the patronage of the Italian Astronomical Society.

To subscribe to the course, call the 0039 055 265311 and use this form. The required payment for the subscription is 30.00 € and is to be paid on the first day of class. The cost includes didactic material and a free entrance to the Museo Galileo.

The Sun in Santa Maria Novella
Observation of the passage of the Sun on the meridian line by Egnazio Danti. Santa Maria Novella Church, 12.30 p.m.

A Light in the Darkness. A Talk about the Camera Obscura
Lecture with presentations and experiments. Chairman: Maurizio Rebuzzini.      Museo Galileo, from 3 p.m. to 7.00 p.m.

Participation is free but the lecture requires registration by e-mail (info@museogalileo.it) or phone (055 265311).

The event is organized in collaboration with MNAF. Museo Nazionale Alinari della Fotografia.

exclusive itineraries with guided tours (in Italian) in two different museums

Here are the dates of the visits to Museo Galileo:

Galileo, una casa e un museo

Meeting point at Museo Galileo, Piazza dei Giudici 1

The tour continues to Villa Il Gioiello* (Pian de' Giullari)

Participation fee: 8 Euro

Saturday 9 July 2011 at 9.30 am

Saturday 10 September 2011 at 9.30 am

Saturday 8 October 2011 at 9.30 am

* The ticket for Villa Il Gioiello has to be purchased in advance at the following Sections of the Florence Natural History Museum: Geology and Paleontology, Anthropology and Ethnology, Botanical Garden.

Information and reservations: (0039) 055 2346760

Don't forget to bring your camera for funny pictures on board the bus!

Transportation and guided visits are free, you will only be charged the reduced entrance fee to the museums.

At the end of each itinerary, the MuseoBus will take you to the meeting point. Reservations are required (max 24 participants).

It is possible to reserve now for July and August.

Reservations for September and October will start from August 22, 2011.

Five meetings are to be held starting from the 17th of May 2011, every Tuesday between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., within the building of “La Colombaria”, at Via S. Egidio 23, Florence. The language of the course is Italian. Lecturers: Enzo Gallori, Francesca Manenti, Alessandro Marconi and Massimo Mazzoni.  

The project is sponsored by the Regione Toscana and benefits from the patronage of the Italian Astronomical Society.

To subscribe to the course, call the 005/265311 and use this form. The required payment for the subscription is 30.00 € and is to be paid on the first day of class.

A number of visitors attended educational activities and appreciated the innovative multimedia tools as well as the new museum shop.

The new website also met with very good success, recording more than one million users and about 3,800,000 visited pages.

Visions of Space and Space Travel in the 1950s: Chesley Bonestell, Wernher von Braun e altri

Ronald Lacy, University of Florence

The conference will retrace the steps that led to the formation of space culture in the 1950s: ranging from Bonestell's space art to the articles in the widely read weekly magazine "Collier's" and to the books written by von Braun, Ley and Whipple which increased the fascination with space travel and also paved the way - by creating public support - for the development of the American space program of the 1960s.

Free admission subject to availability.

"Museo Galileo - Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza, open since 1930, was totally renewed in 2010, thus transforming and originally displaying its historical collections. Thanks to the high quality scientific personnel, the experienced managerial staff, the historic statutory autonomy (non-profit organization since 1927) and the collaboration of several important institutions, the Museum represents a model as to organization and sustainable management with a good relationship between public and private resources. To be appreciated are also the relevant educational activities and the high-tech services offered to the public."

The prize is attributed every other year to those museums and persons responsible for museums with outstanding scientific activity according to the guidelines set by the deontological codex, the ICOM's definition of a Museum, the Guidelines for Museum Professionals and the national and regional museum standards.

The visits will take place (only in Italian) on April 30, May 7 and 14 at 2 and 4 p.m.

It is reserved for an European science museum either newly founded or recently renovated that has achieved outstanding results with respect to the quality of presentation and display, as well as to its communication strategies aimed at reaching a vast audience.

Here is the official evaluation of the international panel of judges:

Museo Galileo has a unique collection of famous historical scientific objects shown in a very elegant, aesthetic display, which emphasises the quality of the objects and underlines the attentively balanced integration between traditional display techniques and multimedia specifically addressed to individual users.

The 2011 European Museum Academy Prize is the third award won by Museo Galileo since its re-opening in June 2010. In November 2010 it was awarded the ICOM prize in the category of "Best Management", while in December 2010 Museo Galileo won First Prize in the Great Exhibitions Competition of the British Society of the History of Science.

Museo Galileo - Maria Luisa Righini Bonelli Hall

Speakers:

Michele Camerota, Massimo Seriacopi and Thomas B. Settle

The book, edited by Riccardo Pratesi and published by Sillabe, draws the reader's attention to the orginal text of the lectures given by the great scientist between 1587 and 1588, where he aimed at scientifically explaining the shape and sizes of Dante's Inferno.

Riccardo Pratesi has collaborated with Museo Galileo on educational activities since 1998. With the help of new tools for analysis and a rich apparatus of drawings, Pratesi's book traces back the steps of Galileo as well as his illustrious colleagues and proposes a peculiar trip to the bottom of Dante's Inferno.

After having been closed for 13 years and having undergone major restoration work, the Aquarium of Leghorn re-opens to the public. On this occasion, it hosts Galileo’s telescope. The instrument that changed the world – the exhibition conceived by the Museo Galileo for celebrating the fourth centenary of the Tuscan scientist’s celestial discoveries. Galileo’s telescope has been previously presented in many prestigious Italian and foreign venues.

Promoting institutions
Regione Toscana
Comune di Livorno
Opera Laboratori Fiorentini Spa
Costa Edutainment Spa

20 October 2010 – 10 January 2011: Tunis, La Cité des Sciences
16 May - 30 June 2011: Rabat, Bibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc
October 2011: Algiers, Palais de la Culture
March 2012: Tripoli

Machines merveilleuses (Mechanical Marvels: From Leonardo da Vinci up to Today’s Technology) is a re-edition of the Renaissance Engineers exhibition projected to tour North Africa. The shows in Tunis, Rabat, Algiers and Tripoli display the whole section devoted to Da Vinci, together with a part on contemporary high technology conceived by Finmeccanica. “Leonardo’s Automobile” is exhibited as well. Machines merveilleuses is promoted by the Museo Galileo, Finmeccanica and the Italian Cultural Institutes of Tunis, Algiers and Rabat.

Children will learn while having fun and being surrounded by ancient, scientific instruments, skeletons and animals.  Their parents will have the opportunity to leave them during the activities and visit other parts of the museum while they are having fun.

Reservations required:
Firenze Musei ph. +39 055 294883;
e-mail: prenotazioni@operalaboratori.com

GUIDED TOUR: THE GALILEO MUSEUM

• Saturday, July 24^th (10.30 - 12.00)
• Sunday, July 25^th (16.00-17.30)
• Saturday, August 21^st (10.30 – 12.00)
• Sunday, August 22^nd (16.00 - 17.30)
• Saturday, September 25^th (10.30 - 12.00)
• Sunday, September 26^th (16.00 - 17.30)
• Saturday, October 23^rd (10.30 - 12.00)
• Sunday, October 24^th (16.00 - 17.30)
• Saturday, November 27^th (10.30 - 12.00)
• Sunday, November 28^th (16.00 - 17.30)

On December 20^th from 11 until 13 and on December 27^th from 15 until 17 an expert will describe the history and function of a few of the most important instruments in Museo Galileo.

Search for the new logo to find the instruments and meet with the expert!

As part of the initiative "Redazioni Aperte" (Open Editorial Offices), "Galilaeana"'s editors are organizing a meeting with students, that will take place on November 18, from 2.30 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.

By initiative of the Coordinamento Riviste Italiane di Cultura (Association of Italian Cultural Journals), "Florens 2010" will host a conference on the same theme entitled "Le riviste italiane di cultura e il loro ruolo nel XXI secolo" (Italian Cultural Journals and their Role in 21th Century), scheduled for Tuesday, 16 November, at 11.15 a.m. in Florence, at the Salone dei Cinquecento in Palazzo Vecchio.

Cristina Acidini, Massimo Bucciantini and Miles Chappell will participate in the panel.

Ludovico Cigoli’s Prospettiva Pratica (Practical Perspective) is both a work of artistic literature and a remarkable scientific document about the role attributed to the representation of the visible world within the scope of Galilean research. Composed by one of the painters closest to Galileo during the period of great astronomical discoveries (1610 -1613), the treatise illustrates several themes crucial to perspective drawing, from orthogonal projections to shadow projection, from theatrical scenes to the use of mechanical instruments.

Nell’ambito della XX Settimana della Cultura Scientifica e Tecnologica (18-24 ottobre 2010) il Museo Galileo propone due visite guidate da un personaggio speciale.
Sabato 23 ottobre alle 14.30 e alle 16.00 sarà proprio un animatore nei panni dello scienziato pisano a condurre i visitatori attraverso le sale del rinnovato Museo, illustrando la storia del collezionismo scientifico dei Medici e dei Lorena.
La visita, che avrà la durata di circa un’ora, è accessibile gratuitamente ai visitatori in possesso del biglietto del Museo e non necessita di prenotazione.

Per informazioni: 055 265311

Five meetings are to be held starting from the 11th of November 2010, every Thursday between 3.30 p.m. and 5.30 p.m., within the building of the Museo Galileo, at the Piazza dei Giudici 1, Florence. The course doesn’t require any scientific knowledge despite that it is only given in Italian. Lecturers: Massimo Mazzoni, Fabrizio Mazzucconi and Alberto Righini.

The project is sponsored by the Regione Toscana and benefits from the patronage of the Italian Astronomical Society.

To subscribe to the course, call the 055/265311 or use this form. The required payment for the subscription is 30.00 € and is to be paid on the first day of class.

The meetings of the first edition of the course are available on www.intoscana.it, Tuscany's official portal.

Five meetings are to be held starting from the 22nd of September 2010, every Wednesday between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., within the building of the Museo Galileo, at the Piazza dei Giudici 1, Florence. The course doesn’t require any scientific knowledge despite that it is only given in Italian. Lecturers: Massimo Mazzoni, Fabrizio Mazzucconi and Alberto Righini.

The project is sponsored by the Regione Toscana and benefits from the patronage of the Italian Astronomical Society.

To subscribe to the course, call the 005/265311 or use this form. The required payment for the subscription in 30.00 € and is to be paid on the first day of class.

The meetings are broadcast by www.intoscana.it, Tuscany's official portal, and are also available in video-conference at the Museo della Città e del Territorio in Monsummano Terme (PT). Intoscana.it also offers web users a special Internet page containing articles and features, as well as a video-archive of the course.

The primary theme for the conference  is "Instruments on display".
English is the official language of the Symposium.

Scientific committee: Paolo Brenni, Sara Schechner, Giorgio Strano, Anna Giatti
pbrenni@imss.fi.it

Organizing committee: Elisa Bonaiuti, Giulia Fiorenzoli, Laura Manetti
ph. +39 055 265311
sic2010@imss.fi.it

Visit the official website of the symposium

In order to celebrate the event, the Museo Galileo and Odeon cinema propose two special offers: free admission to the cinema for those who purchase the museum ticket on June 11, and reduced entrance to the Museum - from June 12 to 26 - by presenting the cinema ticket.

Galileo

A film by Liliana Cavani. With Cyril Cusack, Gigi Ballista, Giulio Brogi, Vittorio Duse, Piero Vida. (Italy 1968-108’).

The film, censored by the national television of the time, shows Galileo's biography from 1592 – when he starts doubting about the Ptolemaic theory - to 1633, the abjuration year.

The Museum’s subtitle will preserve its earlier name of “Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza” (Institute and Museum for the History of Science). But the new designation “Museo Galileo” emphasizes the central role of the Galilean heritage in the Florentine institution’s activities and cultural profile. The Museum is not only a showcase for an invaluable legacy of instruments and experimental apparatuses. It operates as an institute engaged in research and documentation, offering scholars from around the world the resources of its specialized library, also available online.

The new layout of the Museo Galileo offers on display more than 1,000 instruments and devices of major scientific importance and beauty. The central figure is Galileo, with the history of Florence and Tuscany as the background theme. Under the rule of the Medici and Lorraine, the city and the region were a center of excellence for scientific knowledge as well as a thriving cradle for the arts. The events and discoveries that took place there had a deep impact on the history of modern science.

The Museo Galileo features a series of structural and functional innovations. The restoration of the interior of the Palazzo Castellani (which dates from the twelfth century) has emphasized its monumental dimension and architectural distinction. The elegant, state-of-the-art display cases highlight the esthetic quality of the objects on view, while ensuring their perfect conservation. Portable interactive video-guides—used for the first time in a museum—make the most complex instruments fully understandable even to non-specialist visitors. The devices offer access to hypertext pages, 3D animations, and biographies. Visitors can use the video-guides to select an itinerary through the museum tailored to their specific interests.