Tours / The Hospital of the Innocents: the First Orphanage of the World

Private tour of the Spedale degli Innocenti, designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, the historic site created for the care and assistance of abandoned children.

The Ospedale degli Innocenti ("Orphan Hospital") was the first orphanage in Europe and was built by Brunelleschi in the 15th century. It is located in Piazza della Santissima Annunziata with the Loggia del Brunelleschi. The structure was completed in 1419 and can be considered the oldest work of Renaissance architecture.

Brunelleschi takes inspiration from the ancient porticoed squares, considering the urban and social function of the Florentine fourteenth-century lodges, conceived as the very symbol of Florence, with its human-sized community spaces.

The Ospedale degli Innocenti is the first institution of this kind in Europe, designed to treat and raise orphaned or abandoned children and provide skills for their future life. The "Spedale" was built at the time of the Florentine Republic by the will of the Art of Silk, which financed it entirely, thanks in particular to a donation of 1000 florins from the merchant Francesco Datini and entrusted to Brunelleschi, who created a harmonious and rational example of hospital architecture here.

We invite you to take a private tour with us today to see history with your own eyes- two nurseries, a kindergarten and three structures for the reception of children are still active as well as some of the UNICEF research offices.
Inside the Hospital, we will also visit the new Innocenti Museum with expanded and renovated spaces: 1,456 square meters of exhibition on three levels. This is a one-of-a-kind museum, which has been able to welcome children for more than six hundred years.

Art, architecture and childhood will integrate history to form an exciting story!

Personal memories of "Nocentini", a gallery that houses valuable works of art by Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, the choir prayer of the nurses, and other artistic rarities, are awaiting you!
At the end near the exit, we will find a bookshop specialized for children and an excellent café.

This is a very unique tour for those who are interested in art, architecture and historical places!

Click on our article for more info: https://www.madeoftuscany.it/static/the-hospital-of-innocents-the-first-orphanage-in-the-world/