The name "specola" means "observatory" and it derives from the astronomical observatory that the Habsburg-Lorraine Grand Duke Peter Leopold established in 1775.

Inside on the first floor is the lavish Tribune of Galileo Galilei, a monument to Tuscan scientists in general but which honors the work of Galileo in particular. This unique scientific monument was build in a classical style by the Grand Duke Leopold II in 1841.
On the second floor is the actual museum with a rich zoological collection and a wax anatomical collection.