From a small nineteenth-century hospital for sick children to a major centre of paediatric medicine, the history of the Ospedale Pediatrico Meyer spans more than 130 years. The Ospedale Pediatrico Meyer Florence grew from a philanthropic initiative inspired by Anna Meyer and realised through the decisive support of her husband Giovanni Meyer.
Florentines affectionately knew the original institution as the Spedalino Meyer. Today, Meyer is a university children’s hospital in the Careggi area, combining specialised paediatric care with research and teaching while continuing a mission devoted entirely to children and adolescents.
Origins: Philanthropic initiative begun in 1884
First hospital nucleus: 1887
Institutional foundation: 1891
Benefactor: Giovanni Meyer
Inspiration: Anna Meyer, his wife
Historic nickname: Spedalino Meyer
Current location: Viale Gaetano Pieraccini 24, Careggi, Florence
Modern hospital: In use since December 2007
Today: University children’s hospital combining care, research and teaching
Why it matters: Meyer represents the development of specialised paediatric medicine in Florence
Meyer forms the modern chapter of our Historic Hospitals of Florence – Complete Guide.
Why Florence Needed a Hospital for Children
During much of the nineteenth century, children were often treated in hospitals designed primarily for adults. Paediatrics was only gradually emerging as a distinct medical discipline, and recognising that younger patients required specialised treatment represented an important change in medicine.
Florence participated relatively early in this development. In 1884, a group of Florentine noblewomen and members of the city’s substantial international community began promoting the creation of a hospital for poor and sick children.
The initiative reflected a broader transformation in attitudes towards childhood. Children were increasingly understood not simply as smaller adults but as patients with their own medical, developmental and emotional needs.
Specialised children’s hospitals were still relatively new institutions in nineteenth-century Europe. The creation of Meyer placed Florence within the growing movement towards modern paediatric medicine.
Giovanni and Anna Meyer
The history of the hospital is inseparable from Giovanni Meyer and his wife Anna.
Giovanni Meyer was a wealthy Russian gentleman living in Florence who later became Marchese di Montagliari. According to the hospital’s historical records, Anna Meyer, born Fitzgerald, wished to see a hospital established in Florence where sick children could receive dedicated care.
Particular concern was given to children affected by congenital and acquired deformities. Anna died before this ambition could be fully realised, but Giovanni Meyer provided the decisive financial support needed to transform the idea into a functioning institution.
The hospital that eventually carried the Meyer name was therefore born from philanthropy and a deeply personal family story.
The Meyer was closely connected with Florence’s international community from its beginnings. Foreign residents joined Florentine benefactors in supporting the creation of a hospital specifically for children.
The First Spedalino Meyer
A site was chosen near the Barriera delle Cure and the Pino, then on the outskirts of Florence. In February 1887, the first nucleus of what Florentines affectionately called the Spedalino Meyer was established.
The original hospital was modest. Historical descriptions record two single-storey lateral pavilions connected with a two-storey central building. The wards provided 48 beds, together with isolation rooms and an operating room.
Despite its limited scale, the institution represented an important innovation. Its entire purpose centred on children, creating an environment in which paediatric medicine could develop separately from adult hospital care.
Florentines affectionately called the hospital the Spedalino Meyer. Spedale is an older Tuscan form of ospedale, while the diminutive spedalino reflects the original hospital’s small and specialised character.
Why Do Some Dates Say 1887 and Others 1891?
Visitors researching the Meyer may encounter several dates connected with its foundation. This is not necessarily a contradiction because the hospital developed through several stages.
The initiative began in 1884, while the first hospital nucleus followed in 1887. Official Meyer documentation also identifies 1891 as the year in which the paediatric hospital was formally established and given to the city.
It is therefore more accurate to understand the foundation as a process rather than a single event: the idea emerged in 1884, the first buildings followed in 1887 and the institution took definitive form by 1891.
1884 marks the beginning of the initiative, 1887 the first hospital nucleus and 1891 the institutional foundation traditionally used by Meyer itself.
The Birth of Modern Paediatrics in Florence
The creation of a hospital exclusively for children encouraged the development of specialised knowledge.
Doctors could observe childhood diseases systematically and develop treatments suited specifically to younger patients. Important physicians became associated with Meyer, including Giuseppe Mya, whose work included research into tuberculosis, and Carlo Comba, known for studies in childhood neurology and for promoting vaccination against diphtheria.
These developments belonged to a period when infectious diseases represented an enormous threat to children. Improvements in hygiene, vaccination, diagnosis and treatment gradually transformed survival prospects.
The Ospedale Pediatrico Meyer Florence therefore became much more than a charitable institution. It developed into a centre where paediatrics could advance through clinical experience and scientific investigation.
Children Were No Longer Simply Small Adults
The history of Meyer illustrates one of the most important changes in modern medicine.
Earlier hospital systems often made relatively little distinction between the needs of adults and children. Modern paediatrics increasingly recognised that childhood involves different diseases, physiology, development and psychological needs.
Hospital environments also had to respond differently to young patients and their families. Creating specialised institutions such as Meyer helped transform this understanding into everyday medical practice.
The development of paediatrics changed more than treatment. It transformed the way medicine understood childhood itself and established children as a distinct group of patients requiring specialised care.
The Meyer in the Twentieth Century
Throughout the twentieth century, Meyer expanded alongside advances in paediatric medicine.
New diagnostic techniques, antibiotics, vaccination programmes and increasingly specialised treatments changed what physicians could offer their young patients.
The hospital also developed a growing scientific reputation. After the Second World War, Professor Cesare Cocchi contributed important work in the treatment of tuberculous meningitis, strengthening Meyer’s standing beyond Florence.
As medicine became increasingly complex, however, the limitations of the historic hospital became more apparent. Modern paediatric care required sophisticated diagnostic equipment, specialised operating facilities, laboratories and considerably more space.
From Children’s Hospital to University Medical Centre
The development of Meyer became closely connected with medical education and scientific research.
Its integration with the University of Florence strengthened the relationship between clinical treatment, investigation and the training of future healthcare professionals.
This combination is fundamental to the modern identity of the institution. Complex childhood diseases often require multidisciplinary teams bringing together specialised physicians, surgeons, nurses, researchers and other professionals.
Meyer consequently evolved far beyond the relatively small hospital created in the late nineteenth century.
The original Meyer provided 48 beds in a small group of buildings. Modern paediatric medicine requires advanced imaging, operating theatres, specialist laboratories and multidisciplinary clinical teams.
The Move from Via Luca Giordano to Careggi
A decisive new chapter began with the creation of the modern Meyer in the Careggi hills.
The hospital moved from its historic site in Via Luca Giordano to the area of the former Villa Ognissanti on Viale Pieraccini.
The transfer was completed in December 2007. The new site substantially increased the available space and provided facilities designed around contemporary paediatric medicine.
According to Meyer’s historical documentation, the transition increased the hospital’s area from approximately 20,000 square metres at the old site to around 35,000 square metres at the new complex.
Expanded diagnostic facilities, specialist laboratories and modern operating theatres made the move much more than a simple change of address. It created the physical environment necessary for Meyer to develop into a major contemporary paediatric centre.
The move to Careggi in 2007 transformed the scale of Meyer. More space, advanced technology and purpose-designed clinical areas allowed the hospital to expand its specialised paediatric services.
A Children’s Hospital Designed Differently
The modern Meyer was designed around the idea that a children’s hospital should not feel like an intimidating institutional environment.
Architecture, natural light and surrounding green spaces contribute to an atmosphere intended specifically for young patients and their families.
The hospital incorporates Villa Ognissanti within a much larger modern complex. Its position in a green area of the Careggi hills creates a striking contrast with many densely built urban hospitals.
Natural light, warm materials, gardens and family-friendly spaces reflect an approach that recognises psychological and emotional needs alongside medical treatment.
The modern Meyer demonstrates how hospital architecture itself can support paediatric care. Light, gardens and family-oriented spaces form part of the experience of young patients rather than simply serving as decoration.
The Meyer Children’s Hospital Today
Today, Meyer serves children from Tuscany, other parts of Italy and beyond.
Its work combines diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation with university teaching and scientific research. Highly specialised paediatric disciplines allow children with complex conditions to receive multidisciplinary care within the same institution.
This modern role represents an extraordinary development from the small Spedalino Meyer of the late nineteenth century.
Yet the central principle remains recognisable: creating a medical environment specifically designed around the needs of children.
What began as a small philanthropic institution has developed into a university centre combining specialised paediatric medicine, scientific research and teaching.
Research and Teaching at Meyer
Modern university hospitals do more than treat patients. Research is essential for improving diagnosis and developing new therapies, particularly for rare and complex childhood diseases.
Meyer combines clinical work with scientific investigation and medical education through its relationship with the University of Florence.
This structure allows research and everyday patient care to interact closely. New knowledge can influence clinical practice, while questions arising from patient care can inspire further research.
In this sense, the hospital continues the innovative spirit that characterised its beginnings, although the medical possibilities available today would have been unimaginable to its nineteenth-century founders.
From the Innocenti to Meyer
Meyer belongs to a much longer Florentine history of caring for children.
More than four centuries before its creation, the Ospedale degli Innocenti had been established to receive and protect abandoned infants.
The two institutions should not be confused. The Innocenti was primarily a charitable and social institution for abandoned children, while Meyer was founded specifically as a medical hospital for sick children.
Yet the contrast between them is fascinating. Together, they illustrate how ideas about childhood and care evolved from Renaissance social welfare to specialised modern paediatric medicine.
The Innocenti and Meyer represent two very different chapters in Florence’s history of childhood: one centred on protection and social care, the other on specialised medicine.
Meyer and Florence’s Long Tradition of Care
Seen alongside Santa Maria Nuova, the Misericordia di Firenze, the Innocenti and San Giovanni di Dio, Meyer forms the modern chapter of an unusually long Florentine tradition.
Each institution emerged from different circumstances. Medieval confraternities provided practical assistance, hospitals cared for the sick, the Innocenti protected abandoned children and Meyer developed specialised paediatric medicine.
What connects them is the recurring idea that organised institutions should assist people who cannot meet their needs alone.
This aspect of Florence receives far less attention than Renaissance art, architecture and politics, yet it provides an equally revealing view of the city’s development.
Where Is the Meyer Children’s Hospital?
The modern Meyer is located at Viale Gaetano Pieraccini 24 in the Careggi area north of Florence’s historic centre.
Unlike the medieval healthcare institutions in central Florence, it is not normally a destination on a tourist itinerary.
Its location nevertheless has architectural and historical interest because the hospital incorporates the former Villa Ognissanti and occupies a green setting in the Florentine hills.
Visitors should remember that Meyer is a working children’s hospital. Patient privacy and the clinical function of the complex must always take priority over sightseeing.
Meyer is an active university children’s hospital rather than a visitor attraction. Anyone going there for medical reasons should use the hospital’s official information for current access, services and directions.
A Hospital Born from Philanthropy
The story becomes particularly meaningful when viewed from its beginnings.
Giovanni Meyer could not have known how profoundly medicine would change over the following century. His support helped establish a hospital inspired by Anna Meyer’s wish that sick children should receive dedicated care.
That relatively simple principle proved remarkably forward-looking.
Buildings, technologies and medical treatments have changed completely, but the institution remains devoted to the same fundamental group of patients: children and adolescents requiring specialised care.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Ospedale Pediatrico Meyer
When was the Meyer Children’s Hospital founded?
The history of Meyer developed in stages. The initiative began in 1884, the first hospital nucleus opened in 1887 and 1891 is traditionally associated with the formal establishment of the institution.
Who founded Meyer?
Giovanni Meyer provided the decisive financial support for the hospital, inspired by the wish of his wife Anna Meyer to create dedicated care for sick children in Florence.
Why was it called the Spedalino Meyer?
Florentines affectionately used the name Spedalino Meyer for the original small children’s hospital. Spedale is an older Tuscan form of ospedale.
When did Meyer move to Careggi?
The transfer to the modern hospital at Villa Ognissanti in the Careggi area was completed in December 2007.
Is Meyer connected with the University of Florence?
Yes. Meyer combines paediatric clinical care with university teaching and scientific research through its relationship with the University of Florence.
How is Meyer different from the Ospedale degli Innocenti?
The Innocenti was historically created to receive and care for abandoned children. Meyer was founded centuries later specifically to provide medical treatment for sick children.
Can tourists visit Meyer?
Meyer is an active children’s hospital rather than a tourist attraction. Patient privacy and clinical care take priority, and visitors should use official hospital information when going there for medical reasons.
Why the Ospedale Pediatrico Meyer Is Worth Knowing
The Ospedale Pediatrico Meyer Florence is worth knowing because it brings the history of Florentine healthcare directly into the present. Unlike institutions whose importance belongs mainly to the medieval or Renaissance city, Meyer demonstrates how Florence’s tradition of organised care continued into modern specialised medicine.
Its development from the small Spedalino Meyer to a major university paediatric hospital mirrors the transformation of paediatrics itself.
Children who once had relatively few treatments available can now benefit from sophisticated diagnostics, specialised surgery, intensive care and scientific advances developed specifically for younger patients.
At the heart of this transformation remains the philanthropic impulse that helped create the hospital in the nineteenth century: the belief that sick children deserved a place designed specifically for their care.
That continuity makes Meyer a fitting modern conclusion to the story of Florence’s historic hospitals and charitable institutions.
From medieval charity to specialised university medicine, Meyer shows that Florence’s history of care did not end with its Renaissance institutions. It continues in the medical life of the city today.
Further Reading on Firenze Casa
Continue exploring Florence’s long history of healthcare, childhood and social responsibility:
- Historic Hospitals of Florence – Complete Guide
- Ospedale degli Innocenti – Renaissance Florence and the Care of Children
- Santa Maria Nuova – Florence’s Historic Hospital
- Misericordia di Firenze – Centuries of Caring for Florence
- San Giovanni di Dio – Florence’s Historic Vespucci Hospital
- History of Florence – Complete Guide
References
- Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Meyer – History of the Meyer Children’s Hospital
- Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Meyer – Historical Development and Strategic Documentation
- Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Meyer – The Transfer to the New Meyer at Villa Ognissanti
- Fondazione Meyer – Institutional History and Support for Paediatric Care
- Università degli Studi di Firenze – Paediatrics and Collaboration with Meyer
- Regione Toscana – Paediatric Healthcare and the Meyer University Hospital
