Antico Spedale del Bigallo

The Antico Spedale del Bigallo, also known as Spedale di Fonteviva, is a historic building and hospitality complex in Bagno a Ripoli, in the Tuscan countryside just outside Florence, Italy. It was founded in 1214 along the ancient Via Aretina by Dioticidiede di Bonaguida del Dado, with the purpose of helping the poor and refreshing pilgrims at the "bivius Galli", the crossroads between the old Via del Gallo and the Via Aretina. Its name is generally linked to that toponym. From 1245 it was owned and managed by a Florentine confraternity of Santa Maria Maggiore, which later became the Compagnia del Bigallo, taking its name from this very refuge. The company's emblem, a rooster with the initials S. M. B. (Santa Maria del Bigallo), is still visible in several places inside and outside the building, together with the arms of the Misericordia confraternity with which it later merged. At the end of the 15th century the complex became a cloistered monastery for the nuns of Casignano, while still offering shelter to the poor and travellers. Because of the cloister, the monastic spaces were sharply separated from the hospitaller ones, and the kitchen garden was enclosed by very high walls. In the 17th century the church was renovated and a sacristy was created. In 1808 the monastery was suppressed and the building became housing for peasant families. Today it is a municipal tourist structure. Despite its troubled history, the complex preserves many evocative spaces: the refectory hall with a coffered ceiling and a reading pulpit, the monumental kitchen with a large fireplace supported by stone columns and an old stone washbasin, the former monastic cells now used as dormitories, and the hospitaller wards. The courtyard has a loggia with five low round arches on massive quadrangular pillars. From there one reaches the basement, which includes the laundry room with the old recess where the washing tub was placed, and a water channel system of arches on stout pillars that supplied water from a nearby spring and from rainwater collection. Today the Antico Spedale del Bigallo operates as a hospitality, events and training venue. Its official website presents it as a hostel, event and training location, offering spaces for private events, weddings, ceremonies, dinners, corporate meetings, film, television and photo shoots. It is managed by the ATI Bigallo, an association of companies formed by Qualitas Forum srl and the social cooperative Ospitale delle Rifiorenze. Qualitas Forum is a training agency accredited by the Region of Tuscany since 2002, also active in event organisation and local development projects in the Florence and Bagno a Ripoli area. Ospitale delle Rifiorenze is a social cooperative operating since 2006 in the tourism and hospitality sector, with a focus on responsible tourism and environmental sustainability, and it also works to reintegrate people in social difficulty into employment. The team aims to enhance the structure for its historic and landscape characteristics, maintaining its nature as a place of welcome and aggregation with an eye to environmental sustainability.

The Antico Spedale del Bigallo, also called Spedale di Fonteviva, is a historic building in Bagno a Ripoli, located at via del Bigallo e Apparita, 14. It was founded in 1214 along the ancient Via Aretina to help the poor and refresh pilgrims, on the initiative of Dioticidiede di Bonaguida del Dado. Its name probably derives from the toponym "bivius Galli", as it stood at the crossroads between the ancient Via del Gallo and the Via Aretina. From 1245 it was under the management and ownership of a Florentine confraternity called Santa Maria Maggiore, which later became the Compagnia del Bigallo, taking its name from this refuge. The company's coat of arms, clearly visible in several examples inside and outside the building, shows a rooster with the initials S. M. B. (Santa Maria del Bigallo), accompanied by the arms of the Misericordia confraternity with which it later merged. At the end of the 15th century the complex became a cloistered monastery for the nuns of Casignano, while still maintaining the possibility of shelter for the poor and travellers. Because of the cloister, the monastic rooms were sharply separated from the hospitaller ones, closing off, among other spaces, the kitchen garden with very high walls. In the 17th century the church was renovated and the sacristy was created. In 1808 the monastery was suppressed, becoming housing for peasant families. Today it is a municipal tourist structure. Despite its troubled history, the complex still preserves numerous evocative spaces, such as the refectory hall (with coffered ceiling and pulpit for readings), the monumental kitchen (with a large fireplace supported by stone columns and an old stone washbasin), the dormitories that were once the monastery cells, and the hospitaller wards. The courtyard has a loggia with five low round arches supported by massive quadrangular pillars. From here one enters the basement, where the laundry room is located, with the old recess where the tub for washing clothes was placed. Here also converges the water channel system, made of arches supported by stout, massive pillars, which guaranteed water supply from both a nearby spring and rainwater collection. In the modern era, the Antico Spedale del Bigallo has been repurposed as a hospitality, events and training venue. Its official website presents it as a hostel, event and training location, offering spaces for private events, weddings, ceremonies, dinners, corporate meetings, and film, television and photo shoots. It is managed by the ATI Bigallo, an association of companies formed by Qualitas Forum srl and the social cooperative Ospitale delle Rifiorenze. Qualitas Forum is a training agency accredited by the Region of Tuscany since 2002, also dealing with event organisation and local development projects; it has operated for years in the Florence and Bagno a Ripoli area, including training activities in tourism, environment and green building, and has carried out projects on sustainability and social responsibility. Ospitale delle Rifiorenze is a social cooperative operating since 2006 in the tourism and hospitality sector, with particular attention to responsible tourism and environmental sustainability; it has managed and manages accommodation facilities in and around Florence, promotes cultural, social and recreational activities through conferences, meetings, exhibitions, itineraries, installations, publications and shows, and reintegrates people in social difficulty into employment. The team's objective is to enhance the structure for its historic and landscape characteristics, maintaining its nature as a place of welcome and aggregation, with a view to environmental sustainability.

• 2006

  Ospitale delle Rifiorenze, the other managing partner, began operating in the tourism and hospitality sector.

• 2002

  Qualitas Forum, one of the current managing partners, was accredited by the Region of Tuscany for training and consultancy.

• 1808

  The monastery was suppressed and the building became housing for peasant families.

• 1600

  The church was renovated and the sacristy was created.

• 1490

  Became a cloistered monastery for the nuns of Casignano, while still sheltering the poor and travellers.

• Founded along the ancient Via Aretina by Dioticidiede di Bonaguida del Dado to help the poor and refresh pilgrims at the "bivius Galli".

• Passed under the management and ownership of the Florentine confraternity of Santa Maria Maggiore, later known as the Compagnia del Bigallo.

A historic 800-year-old former pilgrim hospital transformed into a municipal tourism, events and training venue in the Tuscan countryside near Florence, managed by a consortium focused on culture, tourism, training and environmental sustainability.

• Hostel accommodation

• Event venue rental

• Wedding venue

• Corporate meeting spaces

• Training and education courses

• Film, TV and photo shoot location

• Catering and event organisation

1. 1Antico Spedale del Bigallo. Ostello, eventi, formazioneanticospedalebigallo.it
2. 2Chi siamo | Antico Spedale del Bigalloanticospedalebigallo.it
3. 3Spedale del Bigallo - Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Spedale del Bigallo - Wikipedia (Italian)it.wikipedia.org