Reach for the Stars: History of Science in Rome

The relationship between science and religion has always been complicated, at times even fraught. In European history, one of the most notorious examples is the trial of Galileo, in which the Italian scientist was accused of heresy by the Roman inquisition and ultimately forced to denounce his heliocentric theories.

Studying the Galileo affair was the focus of the University of Colorado Boulder program Faith, Science and Politics: The Trial of Galileo. Under the direction of Colorado faculty Michaele Ferguson (political science), Nick Schneider (planetary science), and Erica Ellingson (astrophysics), program participants spent 20 days in Florence and Rome, exploring the history of astronomy and science in Italy and Europe.

One of the highlights of the program was an on-site lecture by local astrophysics professor Pietro Oliva. The main focus of this talk was the history of astronomy from the 15th century. For his lecture, Oliva chose a very special location, the Biblioteca Angelica, one of the most important historical libraries in Rome (and in Europe). Created at the end of the 16th century from the collection of a Roman bishop, the library now holds several thousands manuscripts, early modern prints, first editions, drawings, and other rare books.

While the Angelica library collection spans across disciplines, throughout his presentation Oliva showed books about science and astronomy in the early modern period. Students thus had the chance of observing a first edition of Galileo’s masterpiece Sidereus Nuncius, which they had studied and read on campus, but never seen in person! Another book that caught everyone’s attention was a first edition of Kepler’s Harmonices Mundi, where he describes the orbits of planets around the Sun. Through this lecture and the library visit, students that the opportunity of seeing first hand original copies of books that defined astronomy and modern science.

The Rome portion of the program included various other visits to monuments and locations with close ties to the history of science. One was the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, where the actual inquisition trial of Galileo was held. The also visited the Vatican Astronomical Observatory and benefited by expert guidance of the Director, Brother Guy Consolmagno.

Thanks to this experience abroad, students gained a deeper understanding of the long history of modern astronomy, exploring the troubled first steps that lay the foundations for contemporary discoveries.

Accent is always ready to start conversations with U.S. colleges and universities to develop new educational programs abroad. All programs developed with Accent include a strong experiential component and take advantage of Accent’s deep network of local scholars, institutions, and professionals. To start conversations about a new program, reach out to our Program Development Team at development@accentglobal.com