Specola

The Specola Astronomica Cidnea is the first public astronomical observatory in Italy. It is located on the San Marco bastion of the Castello di Brescia.

The observatory was established in 1953 through the initiative of Angelo Ferretti Torricelli, with the support of the then Mayor of Brescia, Bruno Boni.

Between 1953 and 1965, Torricelli promoted the publication of an annual yearbook entitled “Guardare il firmamento dalla Specola Cidnea” (“Observing the Firmament from the Cidnea Observatory”).

Angelo Ferretti Torricelli was appointed director of the Observatory until 1970; it was subsequently taken over by Professor Alvero Valetti. Since 1986, the management and activities of the Observatory have been overseen by the Unione Astrofili Bresciani, in collaboration with the Museo di Scienze Naturali.

The semicircular building welcomes visitors with an exhibition area displaying astronomical instruments and photographs of celestial objects.

At the centre of the upper floor stands the dome which originally housed the 12-cm “Ruggieri” refracting telescope, inaugurated on 30 May 1953 and now displayed at the entrance to the Observatory. It has recently been replaced by a modern 15cm apochromatic refractor on a computerized system. On the southern side, a terrace accommodates the Observatory’s portable instruments, including a large 28-cm Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope and a giant binocular telescope specially equipped for independent use by younger visitors.

The management and activities are overseen by the association Unione Astrofili Bresciani, in collaboration with the Museo di Scienze Naturali.

Specola

Info: astrofilibresciani.it

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