"The figure of Galileo as the initiator of modern science has been one of the most debated throughout history, and not only for its role in the creation of mechanics and in the affirmation of Copernicanism, but also for its affirmation of the value of science as opposed to an interpretation of the role of the Church in society, characteristic of the militant counter-reform. At a time when the model of freedom of research that he proposed is beginning to be questioned, a new approach to his figure and his work seems necessary. With these arguments, the Fundación Canaria Orotava de Historia de la Ciencia organised, from 19 to 23 February, in Puerto de la Cruz (Tenerife), and with the collaboration of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), the Eurosymposium Galileo 2000, the first international congress on the Italian astronomer since 1983. This congress focused its attention on three thematic areas: "The Science of Galileo", "Galileo and the Church" and "The Century of Galileo". In the first, Galileo's scientific work was analysed from the perspective of mechanics, the laws of motion and cosmology. In the second, the relations between the Pisan scientist and the Roman Catholic Church. And in the third, the aspects of seventeenth-century European culture most directly associated with Galileo's life and work."