XLVI National Congress of the Italian Society for the History of Physics and Astronomy

Session

Museums and Scientific Collections of Physics and Astronomy in Italy and World- wide

16 Sept 2026, 09:15

Auditorium Ernesto Capocci (Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte)

Conveners

Museums and Scientific Collections of Physics and Astronomy in Italy and World- wide

• Ileana Chinnici (Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF))

Museums and Scientific Collections of Physics and Astronomy in Italy and World- wide

• Ileana Chinnici (Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF))

Museums and Scientific Collections of Physics and Astronomy in Italy and World- wide

• Roberto Mantovani (University of Urbino Carlo Bo)

19. Keeping Precise Time: The Charles Frodsham Regulators in Italian Observatories

Stenning, Richard (Charles Frodsham & Co. Ltd.)

16/09/2026, 09:15

Museums and Scientific Collections

The need for more accurate astronomical data for geodesy, the timing of celestial events, land surveys, determining longitude for navigation, and to regulate other timepieces led to the development of very accurate clocks in the 1860s and 1870s.
This presentation will focus on the astronomical clocks that the London horological company Charles Frodsham, which specialised in high-precision...

39. Brass, Glass, and Measurement: Carlo Dell’Acqua and the Making of an Italian Manufactory for Precision Scientific Instruments, 1828–1870

Mantovani, Roberto (University of Urbino Carlo Bo)

16/09/2026, 09:55

Museums and Scientific Collections

This paper offers the first systematic reconstruction of Carlo Dell’Acqua’s career and examines the gradual making of an Italian manufactory for precision scientific instruments. Dell’Acqua was a Milanese instrument maker whose activity can be traced through an unusually rich corpus of evidence: unpublished manuscripts from the archive of the present-day Liceo Beccaria, formerly the Liceo di...

55. From Lighthouse Beams to Moonlight: Fresnel Lenses Between Technology and Science in the Bourbon Kingdom

Del Monte, Rosanna (Museo di Fisica Università di Napoli Federico II)

16/09/2026, 10:20

Museums and Scientific Collections

Throughout the nineteenth century, Fresnel lenses represented one of the most significant innovations in applied optics, with applications ranging from experimental research to maritime navigation. This paper traces the invention, development, and circulation of these devices, beginning with the work of Augustin-Jean Fresnel and focusing in particular on the large lens employed by Macedonio...

28. Gli astrolabi del Museo della Certosa di San Martino a Napoli

Marra, Ornella (Independent scholar), Truffa, Giancarlo (Member of SISFA)

16/09/2026, 11:15

Museums and Scientific Collections

La sezione navale del Museo di San Martino a Napoli conserva una piccola ma importante collezione di astrolabi antichi che prima della seconda guerra mondiale si trovavano nel vecchio Museo Nazionale di Palermo. Si tratta di un astrolabio universale o safea araba, un astrolabio con scritte in arabo ed in latino, due astrolabi latini ed un astrolabio nautico.
Recentemente è stato possibile,...

15. The origins of the facsimile, a history of fixed-image trasmission

Casi, Fausto (SISFA)

16/09/2026, 11:40

Museums and Scientific Collections

This study explores the forgotten history of still and documentary image transmission, focusing on the evolution of the facsimile. The research started with the discovery of equipment from the early decades of the 20th century, which revealed the importance of this pioneering technology, now part of the collections of the MUMEC Museo dei Mezzi di Comunicazione in Arezzo.

The roots of this...

50. The Historical and Educational Pathway of the Museum of Electrical Technology in Pavia

Battocchio, Andrea (Università degli Studi di Pavia)

16/09/2026, 12:05

Museums and Scientific Collections

In the spring of 2027, the Museum of Electrical Technology in Pavia will celebrate its 20th anniversary. Its collection, originating from the University of Pavia and from donations by Italian companies such as Enel, Sirti, Eni, and others, spans the history of electricity from electrostatics to electronics, from the Leyden jar to personal computers, through a wide range of electrical...

26. L’emisfero celeste di Eufrosino Della Volpaia (1530)

Truffa, Giancarlo (Member of SISFA)

16/09/2026, 12:30

The History of Physics and Astronomy

Le prime carte celesti a stampa furono realizzate da Albrecht Durer e stampate nel 1515 a Norimberga. Frutto della tradizione manoscritta sviluppatasi tra la Baviera e l'Austria nel XV secolo, ebbero un fortissimo influsso per la successiva evoluzione della cartografia celeste. Nel 1530 fu stampata a Venezia da Eufrosino Della Volpaia una mappa dall’emisfero meridionale chiaramente derivata da...

44. Clement Ader's Théâtrophone: a technological marvel.

Franchini, Laura (Associazione Amici di Città della Scienza)

17/09/2026, 11:15

History, Education, and Public Outreach

The invention of the telephone, attributed to Bell in 1876, with the ability to transmit sounds telegraphically, had revolutionized social life in just a few years. In just five years, the major cities of the United States were connected by telephone lines, consisting of pairs of devices linked in a binary dialogue. The telephone itself underwent rapid evolution. With ingenious switching...

67. Electric Time in Naples: Public Clocks Between Precision and Urban Modernity in the 19th Century

Montenigro, Francesco (University of Naples Federico II)

17/09/2026, 11:40

The History of Physics and Astronomy

Within the context of the urban transformations promoted by Ferdinand II, ranging from the Naples-Portici railway and gas lighting to road reorganization and telegraphy, the introduction of public electric clocks in Largo Mercatello and Largo di Castello contributed to redefining the image of a capital in dialogue with major European cities. Acquired in London following the Great Exhibition of...

16. Two electroscopes, a magnetic needle, and a barometer: Luigi Palmieri and the 1851 Melfi earthquake

Cerreta, Pietro (Associazione ScienzaViva, Calitri)

17/09/2026, 12:05

Physics in Naples

In 1852, after approximately seven months of investigation in the area affected by the earthquake, Luigi Palmieri and Arcangelo Scacchi published an interesting report titled: “Della regione vulcanica del Monte Vulture e del tremuoto ivi avvenuto nel dì 14 agosto 1851”, commissioned by the Royal Academy of Sciences of Naples. Having found no evidence on site that the event was attributable, as...

37. Behind the scenes of the Musée Curie: an insider view on science communication and dissemination in a history-of-physics museum

Verduci, Domenica (Museo Storico della Fisica e Centro Studi e Ricerche 'Enrico Fermi' - Università di Bologna)

17/09/2026, 12:30

Museums and Scientific Collections

The Musée Curie in Paris, housed in the historic premises of the Institut du Radium, is a significant European site for the history of physics and for the public understanding of science. This contribution offers an insider perspective on the museum’s science communication activities, grounded in a six-month visiting experience that provided direct access to its daily workings, its staff, and...