"The Ospedale degli Innocenti, a grand Renaissance building designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, opened its doors as an orphanage in 1495; it still works to protect the rights of children, but it now houses a stunning museum space. A prolonged renovation transformed a neglected, dim area into a well-lit home for more than 80 pieces of art, including paintings by Botticelli and Domenico Ghirlandaio. In recognition of the building's history, one gallery holds a collection of signi , charms or amulets broken in half by parents and left behind with their children, in hopes of someday reuniting the broken halves and the families. The top floor, once the site of the institute’s laundry facilities, is now a rooftop café with a beautiful view over Florence ."
