Spedale degli Innocenti
On Gingerguide's self-guided Florence audio tour, Spedale degli Innocenti is a stop worth about ~45 min. Stand in front of it, press play for a short narrated story, and put any follow-up question to the built-in AI guide.
- Type historic
- Suggested visit ~45 min
- Florence Florence guide
About Spedale degli Innocenti
Brunelleschi's 1419 orphanage, the first building in purely Renaissance style anywhere in the world, with Andrea della Robbia's famous terracotta roundels of swaddled infants on the portico.
The Spedale degli Innocenti, Hospital of the Innocents, was commissioned by the powerful Arte della Seta (silk guild) of Florence and designed by Filippo Brunelleschi in 1419. It was the first building to employ the principles of Renaissance architecture in a fully realised and coherent manner, predating even the Old Sacristy of San Lorenzo. The elegant loggia of nine arches, round arches on slender Corinthian columns, with grey pietra serena against white, established the vocabulary of Renaissance architectural design that would influence buildings across Europe for the next two centuries.
The building served as an orphanage from 1445 until 2019, nearly six centuries of continuous operation. Unwanted babies were left in a special rotating wheel (ruota) set into the wall of the loggia; the wheel spun inward so the child could be left anonymously. Andrea della Robbia's famous glazed terracotta roundels of swaddled infants, installed in 1487, decorate the spandrels between the arches. A museum inside tells the history of the institution and displays important artworks.
Did you know? The Spedale degli Innocenti operated as a functioning orphanage for nearly 600 years, from 1445 to 2019, making it one of the longest continuously operating child welfare institutions in history.
How much time do you need at Spedale degli Innocenti?
Around ~45 min works well for Spedale degli Innocenti — time to look properly and listen to its story on the spot. Linger if you like; nothing on a self-guided walk is on a clock.
Should you stop at Spedale degli Innocenti?
Yes — Spedale degli Innocenti made the cut as one of 42 places the Gingerguide team researched and narrated across Florence. The story tells you why it is worth the stop, and the AI guide fills in anything you still wonder.
Nearby stops in Florence
Hear the story of Spedale degli Innocenti
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