The Punta Falcone Astronomical Observatory was one of the first amateur observatories to be created in Tuscany, its activity beginning in 1975. Rising on the promontory of Piombino, it was built reutilising an old coastal naval defence structure set up during the two World Wars to intercept the passage of enemy ships. The structure that once housed the range finder was, for its imposing circular walls and its isolated position, well suited for an observatory.

The association that ran it, very active during the first ten years, decided to improve the instrumentation and upgrade the facilities by purchasing a new dome, which was installed in 1986. In the Nineties, the group’s activity met with alternating fortunes. While its membership dropped, the discovery of an underground room used in the past as a station for communicating coordinates for cannon fire offered the ideal place for its headquarters. The group’s activity has recently found new expression in some highly successful initiatives. Moreover, it has been awarded important recognition for the high quality of its work in the field of astronomy. In early 2005 it inaugurated a new observation section.

Always intensely dedicated to educational initiatives, the volunteers of the Piombino Amateur Astronomer’s Association organise, throughout the year, evenings dedicated to observing astronomical objects and conferences with the projection of slides.