The Arcetri Observatory () is an astrophysical observatory located in the hilly area of Arcetri on the outskirts of Florence, Italy. It is located close to Villa Il Gioiello, the residence of Galileo Galilei from 1631 to 1642. Observatory staff carry out theoretical and observational astronomy as well as designing and constructing astronomical instrumentation. The observatory has been heavily involved with the following instrumentation projects: The MMT 6.5 m telescope The LBT 2x 8.4 m telescopes The Telescopio Nazionale Galileo 3.5 m telescope The VLT telescope adaptive secondary mirror The 1.5 m Gornergrat Infrared Telescope (TIRGO) See also List of solar telescopes External links Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri English website The observatory on Google maps Arcetri Arcetri Buildings and structures in Florence