We single out the 2006 L’Aquila earthquake in Italy as it yields a dramatic perspective on the problem of evidence-based communication. In the aftermath of this earthquake, several scientists were sentenced to jail for insufficiently clear communication related to an imminent earthquake. Though the sentences were later overturned, we can all learn from this example. It is interesting that this court case took place in the country that also tried Galileo Galilei in the seventeenth century for his defense of heliocentrism. A wonderful example in this context is provided by Galileo’s Dialogo published in 1632. In this publication, Galileo communicates his findings to a wider public through a series of dialogues between two philosophers and a layman. We present several parallels to present-day discussions on risk and science communication.