European University Institute
Badia Fiesolana - Via dei Roccettini, 5
San Domenico di Fiesole
The European University Institute is an intergovernmental body set up by the Member States of the European Community. Its objective is to contribute to enhancing European cultural heritage by means of the highest level of teaching and research. Its first academic year was 1976/77. The Institute has four departments, History and Civilisation, Economics, Law and Political-Social Sciences. A Ph.D. from the E.U.I. is a top academic qualification considering that the department of Political Science is fifth on the London School of Economics list of merit and, in the USA, the department of Economics is considered to be among the very best in Europe.
In 1985, the European University Institute was appointed administrator of the historical archives of the European Union, made public after thirty years.
Villa i Tatti
The Harvard University Center
for Italian Renaissance Studies
Via di Vincigliata, 26
Built on top of a pre-existing 11th Century building, Villa I Tatti is today the seat of the Harvard University Centre for Italian Renaissance studies. After changing hands several times, it was purchased by historian and art critic Bernard Berenson in 1906. In 1909 Berenson gave Cecil Pinsent and Geoffrey Scott the task of transforming the house and garden. He bequeathed the villa and its magnificent terraced garden and his collection of books, photographs and objets d'art to Harvard University to establish a centre for the study of Italian Renaissance history and art.
Villa Le Balze
Georgetown University
Via vecchia Fiesolana, 26
Georgetown University has used Villa Le Balze as its specialist centre for the study of Italian Renaissance art since 1981.
Chapter Archive
Piazza della Cattedrale, 3
Il Chapter of Fiesole cathedral was set up by Bishop Zanobi in 966 as part of his reestablishment of the church in Fiesole. The documents in the archive – the oldest of which dates to the 14th Century – tell the story of the Chapter and of the civilian and religious life of the city. The archive is also a prestigious fund of parchments, liturgical books and historical accounts of all kinds. A section of the archive is dedicated to documents on the Badia Fiesolana and the Opera Pia Bandini.
Municipal Archive
Via Portigiani, 24
The municipal historical archive contains documents that date from the 16th Century to the present day, tracing the daily workings of the political structure and the territorial administration of bodies from ancient organisations to the modern-date local government. Rulings by local government, administrative papers, accounting, taxation and population-related documents, matters of public works and assistance and charity are the main types of document it contains. The archive also contains a wealth of photographs, posters and a series of documents produced by bodies and institutions which over time have made significant cultural contributions to the municipality.
Archive of the Seminary
Piazza Mino
The Seminary of Fiesole was established in 1637 by Bishop Lorenzo della Robbia and has always had a strong tradition of culture and educational training. Its archive traces its history through a vast collection of documents that includes statutes, rules, memorials, diaries, scholastic programmes, accounts, account books and inventories.
Episcopal Archive
Piazza della Cattedrale
The Episcopal archive was established in 1228 by Bishop Hildebrand and the oldest documents it contains date to the first half of the 12th Century. Parchments, papal bulls, reports on pastoral visits, acts concerning churches, monasteries hospital, castles, confraternities, lay companies, registry documents, administrative acts are all documents that tell of the pastoral activity of the bishops of Fiesole and the life of the vast diocese they administered.
The Seminary Bandini Archive
Piazza Mino
It was put together in the mid 17th Century following the establishment of the Seminary, and presently possesses some 10,000 volumes which for the most part deal with theology and the arts. There are some 900 editions from the 16th Century and a great many from the 17th and 18th Centuries. The library is named after Angelo Maria Bandini, (1726-1803) Florentine man of letters and book collector who bequeathed his whole library to the Seminary, including many antique classics and works on philosophy, history, law and medicine. An additional contribution came from Bishop Ranieri Mancini (1735-1814).
Municipal Library
Via Sermei, 1
Piazza Etrusca Compiobbi
The premises in via Sermei were inaugurated in 1974 and the Compiobbi branch was opened in 1982. There are some 40,000 books overall and they comprise works of literature from all over the world, books for children and young people, tourist guides, books in the original language, non-fiction, encyclopaedias, dictionaries, journals, comic strips, daily newspapers, music CDs, videocassettes and DVDs.
Giovanni Michelucci Foundation
Villa Il Roseto Via Beato Angelico, 15
Established by the architect Giovanni Michelucci in 1982 with «the object of contributing to study and research in the field of town planning and modern and contemporary architecture, with particular regard to issues concerning social, hospital, prison and school buildings». 25 years of experience has raised the Foundation to being a solid and unique reference point in research and planning in issues of social habitat and how space and society interrelate. The Foundation has an archive, a library, drawings and the plastic models from the architect's studio which may be consulted. The Foundation is also connected to the publication of the "La Nuova Città" journal.
The villa that houses the Foundation has one of the most beautiful views over Florence and the Arno valley. It also has a terraced garden planed with hydrangeas, roses and azaleas as well as a wealth of species of trees, cypresses, oranges, pomegranates, and typical Mediterranean bushes and plants.
Primo Conti Foundation
Centre of Documentation and Research into Historic Avant-gardism
Villa le Coste Via Duprè, 18
The Foundation headquarters is in the 15th Century villa Le Coste where the maestro lived for many years. It was set up in 1980 by Primo Conti himself with the objective of studying the avant-garde cultural movements of the early twentieth Century and conserving their memory.
The Foundation has three sections: the museum of the works of Primo Conti (some 63 paintings and 163 drawings), the archive with numerous items that belonged to the protagonists of the early twentieth Century cultural scene (Papini, Carocci, Samminiatelli, Pratella etc.), a wealth of books about Futurism and an extensive library, and the studio where educational conferences, meetings and workshops can be held.
Scuola di Musica di Fiesole Foundation
Villa La Torraccia - Via delle Fontanelle, 24
San Domenico di Fiesole
Established in 1974 by Piero Farulli and a group of musicians and music enthusiasts, its objective is to spread, develop, uphold and enhance music as an integral, active part of culture. Its institutional aims are to make musical education available to every level of the population and to promote every initiative that can provide and strengthen an adequately high musical qualification in young people. The school's organisation is three-fold, basic courses for children, adults and amateurs, specialised courses held yearly for young graduates embarking on a musical career and a national centre for orchestral training, which gave birth to the prestigious Orchestra Giovanile Italiana.
© 2011 Comune di Fiesole — Via Portigiani, 3 — Fiesole (FI) // design by kidstudio — firenze
