Innocents of Florence

How a Florentine orphanage rescued thousands of children and revolutionized childhood education amid the splendor of Renaissance art.The story begins with the abandonment of the newborn Agata Smeralda on February 5, 1445, in Florences Hospital of the Innocents, the firstbut certainly not the lastchild to be left at its doors. In an era when children were frequently abandoned, often trafficked or left to die on the streets, an orphanage devoted to their care and protection was a striking innovation. The Innocenti, as it has come to be calledthe first orphanage in Europe devoted exclusively to unwanted childrenwould go on to care for nearly 400,000 young lives over the next five centuries.Built by the Silk Weavers Guild at a time when the wealthy were expected to contribute to civic life, the Innocenti featured glorious arches designed by Filippo Brunelleschi and housed works by some of the greatest artists of the Renaissance, from the painter Domenico Ghirlandaio to the sculptor Luca della Robbia. Meanwhile, the new orphanage also redefined the idea of childhood itself, particularly in education, as boys were often taught not just Latin and basic numeracy, but also a well-rounded curriculum that included art, literature, and music. Girls learned viable trades such as weaving and silk manufacturing, and the Innocenti assisted them in securing suitable marriages to protect them from poverty or a life of prostitution. Over the centuries, the orphanage oversaw groundbreaking scientific discoveriesit was a birthplace of modern pediatricswhile struggling against rampant disease, constant financial crises, and the dramatic ups and downs of Florentine politics in the Medici eraReflecting in a touching preface on the major caregivers in his own life, Joseph Luzzi narrates the fascinating history of this revolutionary orphanage, offering readers the first comprehensive biography of a groundbreaking humanitarian institution that recognized poor and abandoned children as worthy of nurtureand thereby shaped education and childcare for generations to come.