Italian engineer Giovanni Branca published a design for a steam turbine, a device intended to use a jet of steam to turn a wheel and power machinery such as pestles for grinding. His idea, published in Rome, was one of the earliest European proposals for a steam turbine, though it was not built. Branca's design, like that of Taqi al-Din, remained a theoretical concept, but it shows the spread of the idea of steam power in the 17th century.

Branca's design is a testament to the power of the printed word to disseminate technical ideas. His book, Le Machine, was an early engineering manual, a genre that would later flourish. The idea of a machine powered by steam captured the imagination of the Baroque era, inspiring poets and thinkers to consider the potential of technology.