Accessibility

The Museo Galileo has a long-standing committment to making its spaces increasingly accessible, enabling all visitors to explore its collections independently.

Key partnerships with the Unione Italiana Ciechi e Ipovedenti (Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired) in Florence, the Stamperia Braille of the Regione Toscana, and LIS (Italian Sign Language) translators from the National Deaf Association (ENS) have been instrumental in this effort. These specific initiatives have been further supported by the museum’s participation in the Ministry of Culture's PNRR call for proposals, aimed at removing physical and cognitive barriers in museums, libraries, and archives.

The ultimate goal is to meet the diverse needs of all visitors by introducing specific modes of access for people with disabilities. Crucially, the results of this comprehensive process will benefit every member of the public who chooses to visit the Museo Galileo.

At the museum’s entrance and reception area, visitors can watch an orientation video available in Italian Sign Language (LIS). Accessibility has been extended to the exhibition rooms, where all videos illustrating the functioning of the main scientific instruments on display have been translated into LIS.

To ensure safety and ease of movement between floors, the elevators are equipped with an alarm system featuring an induction loop, which is a specialized system for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals.

The museum has recently introduced a comprehensive set of improvements to enhance the visit for blind and visually impaired guests. These changes were made possible by structural interventions funded through the PNRR (specifically Mission 1 – Culture 4.0 and Investment 1.2 on barrier removal), with support from the European Union’s NextGenerationEU program.

In the entrance and reception area, visitors can find tactile maps and a three-dimensional reproduction of Palazzo Castellani, home of the Museo Galileo. To ensure an independent visit, an audio guide for the tactile route and museum guides both in Braille and large print for the visually impaired are now available.

Signage has been integrated with the addition of Braille markings for the cloakroom and restrooms on the ground floor.

To facilitate their use, the elevators have been equipped with audible announcements indicating the floor of arrival.

At the entrance to the first and second floors, there are 3D tactile models reproducing some of the important scientific instruments on display in the showcases, each clearly labelled with a Braille caption.

Only guide dogs, properly restrained on a leash, are allowed within the Museum.

TACTILE TOURS

The Museo Galileo offers a guided tactile tour available upon request: a trained operator will provide a detailed demonstrations using 3D models and replicas of the original instruments.

Admission to the Museum is free and the cost for this activity is €3.00. Advance booking is required.

For info and reservations:

tel: 055 2653174 (Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.)

mail: gruppi@museogalileo.it

The Museo Galileo offers educational activities designed to meet the needs of all participants. We pay particular attention to children with special educational needs or neurodivergent individuals to ensure an inclusive and accessible experience for them and their companions.

To help prepare for your visit, a visual storyboard is available in PDF format. This resource can be downloaded free of charge and provides all the necessary information for orientation and navigation through the exhibition rooms.

The Museum is committed to being fully accessible to all visitors. The designated entrance for visitors with disabilities is located at Lungarno Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici 2. To enter, simply use the intercom to request assistance from one of our operators.

We ensure wheelchair access to all floor via two elevators and two stairlifts (accommodating up to 325 kg). A manual wheelchair is also available for visitors to borrow upon request.

Accessible restrooms are available on all floors of Palazzo Castellani.

The Museo Galileo is one of the eight Florentine museums partnering on the WELCOME project. The initiative aims to enhance services for visitors, with a particular focus on meeting the needs of disadvantaged groups. The project is carried out with the support of Regione Toscana.