New, Discounted Admission to the Innocenti Museum

Starting in April 2019, visitors of the Accademia Gallery will now have the opportunity to buy a discounted ticket to the Museum degli Innocenti (€5 reduced from €7, valid for six days from purchasing admission to Accademia Gallery). The two institutions are collaborating as part of a three-year agreement in an effort to promote their cultural and artistic heritage in the historic centre of Florence, which is where both of the museums are located.

Founded in 1784, the famous Accademia Gallery is visited by thousands daily and is home to the largest number of sculptures by Michelangelo, including his renowned David. The Museum degli Innocenti, inaugurated on June 24, 2016, commemorates the first Italian orphanage, Istituto degli Innocenti, chartered in 1419, which hosted children from the 15th to the 19th centuries.

The Museum degli Innocenti comprises a large historical section in its basement where visitors can explore the evolution of childcare and the lives of the orphans through multimedia reconstruction. Meanwhile, the upstairs main gallery is home to over 80 art pieces gifted to the Innocenti over the centuries, including works of Botticelli, Piero di Cosimo, Luca della Robbia, Neri di Bicci, Filippino Lippi and Andrea del Sarto.

Visitors to the Museum degli Innocenti can also explore the building in Piazza Santissima Annunziata, designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, and participate in family activities (not included in the Museum ticket price). This includes recreational and educational activities at Bottega dei Ragazzi, a space dedicated to creative workshops for children aged 3 to 11, using kits to interact with history and art, and audio guides for children.

In addition to this initiative, the agreement also aims to offer joint educational projects including workshops, guided visits to the museums and in the city, publications and training activities for teachers, educators and museum professionals. The agreement also involves cultural projects such as temporary exhibitions featuring works from both museums, collaborating on multimedia applications and joint research on works, themes and the history of the respective institutions and the surrounding Florentine metropolitan area.  (stephanie d’amelio)

For details, see the Innocenti website.