“Provando e riprovando” : The Experimental Practice of the Accademia del Cimento

The year 1657 marked a pivotal moment in the organization of experimental science in Europe. The investigation of nature through experiments was not a new phenomenon, nor were learned institutions, even in the field of the study of the natural world. The meetings held from June 1657 at the Palazzo Pitti, however, represented a significant innovation. The Galileiana collection at the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze (BNCF) comprises a series of manuscripts that report on experiments conducted at the Grand Duke of Tuscany’s residence between 19 June 1657 and at least March 1667. These are diaries, written by various authors, of the Florentine Accademia del Cimento, established under the patronage of the Medici family, particularly Leopoldo (1617–1675), the brother of Grand Duke Ferdinando II (1610–1670). The Accademia del Cimento has the distinction of being the first European scientific academy to prioritize experimental practice, to develop collective work, and to enjoy the support of a public authority. The institution was established in an essentially informal manner, with no official founding statutes or governing regulations. There is no evidence of a list of members, moreover, nor of a dedicated register of expenses incurred during the operation of the Accademia. Its only published work was the Saggi di Naturali Esperienze (1667).