Among the wonders of the Italian Renaissance and its humanism was Florence’s Hospital of the Innocents, Europe’s first orphanage for abandoned children. In an era when children were often trafficked or left to die or roam the streets, an orphanage devoted to their care and protection was a striking innovation. Designed by Filippo Brunelleschi and a symbol of Florence’s cultural and architectural brilliance ever since its founding in 1445, the institution known as the Innocenti became a haven for more than 400,000 children across five centuries.

Joseph Luzzi, author of The Innocents of Florence: The Renaissance Discovery of Childhood and a professor of literature at Bard College, explores how the Innocenti revolutionized our understanding of childhood through its breakthroughs in childcare and childhood education. He does not shy away from addressing the flaws in the new institution’s pursuit of its high-minded mission, especially its struggles with rampant disease and political upheaval. Luzzi covers the good and the bad of this groundbreaking humanitarian institute that helped shape education and childcare for generations to come.

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