The Innocents of Florence

The Renaissance Discovery of Childhood

De: Joseph Luzzi

Narrado por: Joseph Luzzi

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 Florence’s Hospital of the Innocents, the first—but certainly not the last—child 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 called—the first orphanage in Europe devoted exclusively to unwanted children—would 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 discoveries—it was a birthplace of modern pediatrics—while struggling against rampant disease, constant financial crises, and the dramatic ups and downs of Florentine politics in the Medici era

Reflecting 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 nurture—and thereby shaped education and childcare for generations to come.

*Includes a downloadable PDF of the Timeline and Glossary from the book

Reseñas de la Crítica

A slim, compelling book about one of the first orphanages in Europe contains painful echoes of the present.—The New Yorker

A vivid window into the origins of child welfare and a colorful portrait of Renaissance Italy.—Publishers Weekly

Joseph Luzzi’s compact study of a single orphanage in Florence is a marvelous—and sobering—history of how we think about so-called abandoned children and childhood itself. He helps us understand family structure in Italy, certainly, but he also offers insights into artistic patronage during the Renaissance, Italian unification in the nineteenth century, and post–World War II notions of human and children’s rights. A remarkable achievement.—John T. McGreevy, author of Catholicism: A Global History from the French Revolution to Pope Francis

This is an extraordinary book: deeply researched, beautifully written, and morally urgent. With clarity and compassion, Joseph Luzzi brings to life the heartbreaking realities faced by Florence’s abandoned children, offering profound insights into Renaissance attitudes toward childhood, honor, and social worth. A work of both scholarship and conscience, it challenges us to reckon with the past—and reminds us why the lives of children have always mattered—Ross King, author of The Bookseller of Florence: The Story of the Manuscripts That Illuminated the Renaissance

As revolutionary in its mission as it is in its architecture, the Hospital of the Innocents took on one of Florence’s most intractable social problems: an appalling number of abandoned babies, providing the hope of a dignified life to these blameless children of poverty, slavery, and misfortune. Joseph Luzzi’s harrowing, heartfelt book gives these Innocents something else: their own history.—Ingrid Rowland, coauthor of The Collector of Lives: Giorgio Vasari and the Invention of Art

More than a history of a building—a fascinating portrait of Renaissance life.—Kirkus Reviews

How Florence moved women and children out of the Dark Ages

Great story telling about memorable characters that changed the world of orphans and child development.

Author reads brilliant story

Excellent reading . I have the book but I was driving 2 plus hours each way to family and discovered the audible version! Award needed . A story for our time -how do we care children born given up to fate? years ago in Florence, Italy, a man had a moment of conscience and the resulting orphanage becsme the first in Europe!! It is still trying to learn with the children. The idea arrived and spread so all will have a hope to flourish. Brilliant book well read for all of us.