The Museo delle Officine Galileo resides in Campi Bisenzio (Florence) and was created to preserve and bear witness to almost 150 years of technological research conducted mainly in historic Florentine companies.
It was founded in 2006 by Galileo Avionica which, having brought together various Italian companies in the electronics defence sector under the same brand, had acquired also the heritage of Officine Galileo di Firenze, one of the most ancient Italian high technology companies.
Optics, textile machines, mechanical calculators and astronomic clocks, as well as everyday objects such as gas meters and cameras, are on display in this lively and rich exhibition, which is constantly enhanced with equipment and where it’s possible to appreciate the forerunners of many current products such as radar, optical viewers, flight instruments and radios.
An astronomical pendulum clock, donated by the Ximeniano Observatory in Florence, is the Museum flagship. That clock was built in 1884 by the Officine Galileo and for years it was used to synchronize all the other clocks in the Observatory.
The Museo delle Officine Galileo bears witness to a legendary brand from Italian industrial culture and sets itself as an important guide for future technological innovation.
