Florence was hailed as the "queen of science" and the "cradle of the experimental method". The great hall assigned to it was devoted mainly to Galileo and the Galilean tradition. Curated by Corsini, Garbasso and Pagnini, it displayed Galilean memorabilia from the Tribuna di Galileo as well as astronomical and physicist instruments from the Museo degli Strumenti Antichi [Museum of Ancient Instruments], which was directed by Garbasso. From the Uffizi Gallery came a collection of portraits of scientists; from the Arcetri Astronomical Observatory, a series of photographs taken during the construction of the new solar tower, completed in 1925; Count David Augusto Costantini, an ardent collector, loaned his collection of scientific instruments from the 16th and 17th centuries.
