Taking Bearings

Firenze, Italia —  I regard spirituality as an intensely private matter . While I often have great personal respect for people of faith as well as the wisdom to be derived from religious thought, there is no place for the supernatural in science.

What I define as spirituality, beyond the superficial observance of calendars and rituals, that comes closest to traditional conceptions of a soul is that part of you that can’t helped but be moved by the dedication of people to life, work, and art undertaken as part of their faith.

My personal list of spiritual places in this world would include the humanistic Pantheon in Paris, and the chairs in front of Newton’s tomb at Westminster Abby where, for a good part of my life, I made an annual December pilgrimage to reflect on the year past over the “quod mortale fuit Isaaci Newtoni” and the achievements of others honored in scientist’s corner.  Wandering the Abby was also a great way to work off a plate of Argyll Arms’ bangers and mash (washed down, of course, with a pint or two of Guinness) while B bought out Laura Ashley and wrapped up Christmas shopping on Bond Street and in the shops near Oxford Circus.

If I had to pick one place that to me is incredibly moving to me, however, it would be Firenze. Although better known for its treasures of art and architecture, Florence portrays passion for the fusion of art and science like no other city in the world.

I’ve been privileged to both visit and work in Florence many times. My middle daughter, Amanda, studied art restoration there, and lived in the city for two years. I still have many good colleagues in Florence, and I know the city very well.

Walking into the Basilica di Santa Croce in Florence immediately puts the Italian love of both art and science in perspective. To the left is the tomb of Galileo, to the right, the tomb of Michelangelo guarded by muses representing painting, sculpture and architecture. Both are venerated monuments to towering talent and genius.

It’s a profoundly moving space.

The composite photo shown here, taken ca. 2000, has frames looking toward the front entrance of the basilica and so the tombs are reversed, with Galileo’s on the right side of the screen and Michelangelo’s on the left. Photo Credit: Basilica di Santa Croce. Firenze, Italia.  Photo by K. Lee Lerner. ©LMG All Rights Reserved.

What also makes the space profoundly moving is noticing who goes unnoticed as tourists walk through the Basilica.

Buried in the floor between these giants of science and art lie the remains of the once mighty and powerful — the princes, politicians, and church officials — who constituted the Florentine elite of their respective days. Their tombs, often inscribed with the details of the occupant’s power to make war or issue edicts, show the weathering effects of time and millions of indifferent shuffling shoes beating a path to pay homage elsewhere.It’s a humbling life lesson.

To balance all this profundity, I usually recall a humorous quip in the movie A Room with a View, where a comment that the basilica was “built on faith” is explained as meaning “the workers were not paid properly.”

After a few minutes of respectful reflection, I usually turn and head back out the door to encounter the ever-present tour groups in the Piazza di Santa Croce scurrying toward Brunelleschi’s famous dome atop the Duomo (the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore), rushing to crowd in front of the golden doors of the Baptistery of San Giovanni, or perhaps encircle Michelangelo’s David at the Galleria dell’Accademia,

All those destinations are meaningful and grand but unless I’m showing someone the city, I prefer to create my own fusion of art and science.

Accordingly,  I more often make a left turn and head toward the Museo di Galileo* — formerly the Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza (IMSS) — situated near the Uffizi along the Arno.

The museum has always provided interesting projects and/or a good place to work. It’s a museum dedicated to both the preservation of science history and vibrant presentations of science theory. Its collection, dating to the 13th century, includes clocks, compasses, microscopes, and a myriad of other scientific instruments — many hand crafted by Galileo.

The museum, located inside the Palazzo Castellani, is also one of the world’s most modern museums and prized research centers. In addition to hosting a number of seminars and conferences each year, IMSS publishes a biannual review on the History of Science (Nuncius. Annali di Storia della Scienza) and other specialized publications. The museum maintains an online exhibit catalogue.

More modern scientific achievements are described in presentations devoted to Evangelista Torricelli’s discovery of the weight of air, the first explorations of the nature of a vacuum, electrical aurora, frictional electrostatics, the gold-leaf electroscope, and Volta’s lamp-lighter. Although some of the presentations are in Italian only, an increasing number are available in English.

The exhibition halls of the IMSS contain a wide array of instruments used in Galilean experiments. Beautifully crafted celestial globes and other models demonstrate the Copernican system and Kepler’s laws of planetary motion. The floor exhibition also offers a chance to gaze upon and into Galileo’s telescope. In addition to exhibition halls, the museum consists of a library, archives, and a series of laboratories dedicated to application and advancement of multimedia, photographic, and restoration technologies.

IMSS exhibits are renowned for their artistically inspired insight into some of the most fundamental principles of science.

One exhibit also provides a bit of enduring humor for the classroom or lecture hall. On exhibit at IMSS is Galileo’s detached right middle finger (the rest of his remains are, as previously mentioned, at the Basilica di Santa Croce).

K. lee Lerner Museum Galileo

Photos of the famous middle finger (also, of course, the finger used for “giving someone the finger”) find their way into many of my physics lectures.

Whenever I would see students getting lost in equations or struggling to keep up with complex concepts I would break the tension by asking students to collectively show me which of Galileo’s fingers is housed at the History of Science Museum in Florence.

There is just something deeply and mutually cathartic about a mass of students shooting hands skyward to show me “the finger.”

*This article was updated in 2020 to reflect the change in name for the IMSS to Museum Galileo