Full text: Bacciotti, Emilio: Bacciotti's Handbook of Florence and its environs, or the stranger conducted through its principal monuments, studios, churches, palaces, galleries, streets and shops

260 
as large as life, it would really have been too horrible 
for exhibition — You breathe more freely as you 
step out into the open air again; and when the 
bright sunshine and the crowded busy streets next 
meet your eye, you are ready to ask : Is this indeed 
a representation of a reality? Can this pure air have 
been laden with pestilence ? Can this gay city have 
ever been a city of the plague? (1) Descend now to 
the first floor and enter the : 
Tribune of Galileo, on the right of the first ve- 
stibule. Its architecture is by Cav. Martelli, and was 
inaugurated upon the meeting of the Italian Associa- 
tion for the advancement of Science at Florence in 
1841. In the centre is a statue of the Tuscan Philoso- 
pher by Costoli, surrounded by niches, in which are 
placed ists of his principal pupils, and with presses, 
containing the instruments with which he made his 
discoveries, including the telescope with which he dis- 
covered the satellites of Jupiter; also those employed 
in the experiments of the celebrated Accademia del 
Cimento. Notice in the niche, to the right, a glass cover, 
where is preserved one of the fingers of Galileo, sa- 
crilegiously abstracted by Gori, when his remains were 
removed from their resting place to the tomb, erected 
by Viviani’s heirs, in the church of S. Croce (see p. 
145). The walls are beautifully inlaid with marble 
and jasper, the ceiling is richly painted in compart- 
(1) These cases, containing the famous and terrible works by 
Zummo, have been brought recently to the National Museum, 
(see pag. 161) and the remainder will be removed, because the 
Government intends to have all transferred to the Liceo di 
Studii Superiori in Piazza S. Marco, on the corner of Via della 
Sapienza ; (see pag. 109.)
	        
Waiting...

Note to user

Dear user,

In response to current developments in the web technology used by the Goobi viewer, the software no longer supports your browser.

Please use one of the following browsers to display this page correctly.

Thank you.

powered by Goobi viewer