Astronomic Observatory in the Ducal Palace of Modena
In 1814, Massimiliano of Austria-Este, brother of Francesco IV of Austria-Este, archduke of Modena and Reggio Emilia, had the idea to give to Modena, capital of The Este Dukedom, an astronomic Observatory (Specola). He actually was a big estimator of the Amici’s astronomic instruments. In 1814, Massimiliano came into contact with Giuseppe Bianchi (1791-1866), who the previous year graduated in Mathematics. Thanks to a government subvention, Bianchi went to Milan to improve his skills under the supervision of Brera astronomers Barnaba Oriani (1752-1832), Giovanni Angelo de Cesaris (1749-1832) and Francesco Carlini (1783-1862).
During the research of a sit for the Observatory, Bianchi in 1818, after having received the task of Theoretic Astronomy professor, sent to Marchese Luigi Rangoni (Minister of Education) a list of the fundamental instruments to buy in order to create an Observatory: a transit instrument for right ascensions, a meridian circle with at least three feet of diameter for the declinations, an equatorial for the extra-meridian observations and a good achromatic telescope. Amici was asked about the possibility to build the requested instruments and he made the wish that one on them would bought abroad so to make a comparison.
On the 21st of February 1818, Bianchi decided to commit to Georg Friedrich von Reichenbach (1772-1826) from Munich, important optic and instruments builder, a meridian circle, whereas a Newtonian reflecting telescope was selected (basing on Amici request) instead of an Achromatic telescope.
There were some delays in the foundation of the Observatory, in particular the difficulty to find the right building. On the 14th of January 1826, Francesco IV deliberated with a official written document to hold the Observatory in his Ducal Palace, in the upper portion of the eastern tower. It was the oldest part of the Palace, built in the first half of XVII century.
An inscription, still present in the Astronomic Observatory and dictated from ducal librarian and archeologist Celestino Cavedoni, states this decision (1795-1865).
Natural History Museum zoology section of the “Specola”, Florence
The Specola (Observatory) was opened in 1775 and it’s one of the older and bigger scientific museums of Europe. It contains more the 3 millions and half kinds of animals, 5.000 of these in full view, the biggest collection of anatomic wax and a lot of osteological findings.
The Zoological Collection on the 2nd floor includes rooms containing the more primitive invertebrates and the fully developed mammalians. To remark is the Ungulate and Carnivore Room, where in the big window of African herbivores numerous kinds of antelopes, the rare okapi, the elegant giraffe gazelle and a beautiful white rhinoceros can be admired. The rooms dedicated to the birds hold several species with thousands of colors and shapes. Among reptiles and amphibians there are small and poisonous frogs coming from South America, curious reptiles, two giant tortoises from Galįpagos and a big reticulated python. A Nile crocodile mummy found in an Egyptian tomb catches the eye among many crocodiles. On the same floor there is the Wax Anatomic Models Collection composed of 1.400 pieces and realized between the end of XVIII century and the beginning of XIX so to obtain a scientific-didactic treaty able to illustrate the anatomy of a human body without the direct observation of a cadaver. “The Venus” is spectacular for its beauty and because it was created like model with dismountable parts. The Skeletons Room, on the ground floor, visiting only by booking, hold an Osteological Collection, one of the more important of Italy, nowadays constantly incremented and consulted from Italian and foreign zoologists and paleontologists. 3.000 findings are preserved in this place: skulls, bones and complete skeletons of vertebrates, moreover mammiferouses. It’s about modern animal findings and not fossil ones. The mounting of the animals is impressive: they are placed at the center of the Room, hanged from the ceiling or put in the windows. Among the rare animals can be admired the rhinoceros sondaicus, the thylacinus (or Tasmanian tiger), the platypus and many ant-bears. Three extraordinary cetacean skeletons are hanged from the ceiling, in the center of the room there is the giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) and the big skeleton of Indian elephant (Elephas Maximus) described from Linneo. The Torrino designed at the end of the XVIII century was an Astronomic Observatory. It is composed of many rooms, the most important of these are the Room of the Meridian Sundial, where the passages of celestial bodies were observed, and the Superior Octagon Room where 360 degrees observations of the sky were done. It contains various objects coming from Medici’s collections such as precious handworks like goblets, vases, ornamental tools and ethnographic objects. Coming from XVIII century there are beautiful kind of model of life-sized wax plants and flowers, some sheets from Central and Cesalpino Herbarium, two canvases painted by Bartolomeo Bimbi. The majestic and amazing Galileo Tribune, placed on the first floor, is a rare example of Neoclassical architecture. It was built and inaugurated in 1841 to celebrate Galileo, the experimental science and to give a right collocation to the famous objects owned to the scientist and its followers. Among these instruments we find a geometric and military compass, armed magnet, two telescopes and the lens of the telescope used by Galileo to discover Jupiter’s satellites. The Renaissance and Cimento Academy instruments were arranged in special windows. Nowadays, all the objects are preserved in the Galileo Museum in Florence. The centre of apse is dominated by the Galileo Statue, in the niches there are frescoes representing episodes of the big discoveries of the scientist and the busts of his most popular pupils.
Birth house
Servi street, 33 - Modena
Demidoff Palace, Florence
De' Renai street, 5 – Florence
