NEWS - FLORENCE
From convent to cultural centre
With the hope of breathing new life into the San Lorenzo neighborhood, the province of Florence revealed plans to invest 46 million euro to renovate the former convent of Sant'Orsola.
Palazzo Medici Riccardi will buy the extensive structure, which has been abandoned for more than 20 years, for 22 million euro; the cost of reconstruction is estimated at 24 million euro.
The historic complex, built in 1309, is an important part of Florence's history. A convent in the 1300s, it was later turned tobacco factory, then a refuge for the homeless, and later housed university classes. In the 1980s, it was slated to be turned into a barracks for the local Finance police, but the plan was never implemented. The site has been derelict ever since.
The vast, 15,000 square metre space in the heart of the city will become a multi-use complex.
It will be the new home of the Liceo artistico Alberti, which enrolls over 600 students. It will also include a police station, a sports field for the high school and neighborhood, an art centre and laboratory, a 250-seat auditorium, a large central square, and two playgrounds for neighborhood children.
In a press conference, provincial president Matteo Renzi praised the move: ‘After 50 years and much discussion, a solution for Sant'Orsola has arrived. After a year of talks with the public about what to do with the space, the Sant'Orsola project will re-launch the entire San Lorenzo neighborhood, one of the most beautiful places in the world. Within three to four years, a new vital addition to the city will be opened to the public'.
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