E Scott P.
Google
The Museo degli Innocenti sits behind one of the most graceful façades in Florence, a calm rhythm of arches by Brunelleschi that feels almost modern in its clarity. The blue-and-white terracotta medallions of swaddled infants catch the eye immediately: they were created by Andrea della Robbia in the 1480s, each one hand-molded and slightly different, quietly honoring the children once cared for here. This wasn’t just a building; it was Europe’s first dedicated foundling hospital, a place where architecture, charity, and civic pride intertwined. Even without stepping inside, the exterior alone carries centuries of Florentine social history in its stone and ceramics.