Historical Archive

The Archive preserves over 13,000 archival units dating from the 13th to the 20th century, including the 'recognition signs' of the abandoned children (dating back to the 19th century) and important period photographic collections.
The documents include the papers produced by the Institute while performing its institutional activities, the collections of private citizens that came to it through bequests, and the collections of secular and religious bodies that have been associated with the Institute over the centuries.
Thanks to its chronological completeness and variety, this heritage contributes to reconstructing the history of Tuscany from a social and economic point of view and in terms of its customs and traditions.

Except for those considered confidential or with personal or sensitive data, the documents can be consulted by everybody in accordance with the Codice dei beni culturali e del paesaggio (Code of cultural heritage and landscape) and Legislative Decree no. 196 of 30 June 2003.

The reading room is inside the Innocenti Alfredo Carlo Moro Library.

Opening Hours
The reading room is open from Monday to Friday, 9.30-13.00, and from Tuesday to Thursday, 14.00-17.30. The room is open to the public by appointment. Please write to: archiviostorico@istitutodeglinnocenti.it or call 055-2037397-345.

screenshot from a virtual exhibition organised on Movio by the Archive of the Istituto degli Innocenti

In conjunction with the Innocenti Alfredo Carlo Moro Library, the Historical Archive organises exhibitions and virtual tours on topics concerning the Institute's history and activities based on the documentation in its possession.

Past Exhibitions:
Chronicle of a ‘Deluge’! The Istituto degli Innocenti and the Florence Flood of 1966
No Mother, but a Great Motherland: The Ospedale degli Innocenti Remembers Its Sons Who Fell in the Great War