Ca’ Biotti – “Maria Bambina” College

Until the end of the 20th century, Ca’ Biotti was the “College of S. Maria Bambina del Belvedere”, but its original core was the home-business of the Biotti family, which in the 18th century was among the most important wool enterprises in Crespano. It was the residence of Monsignor G.B. Sartori Canova until 1858, the year of his death. It is a place of natural beauty, with a ferruginous water spring of valuable oligomineral properties that was already used at the beginning of the 19th century, as evidenced by a photo from 1835 depicting the water exploitation system. The inheritance passed to his niece Antonietta Bianchi Canal, wife of Count Filippo Canal (1811-1904), who, to best exploit the mineral waters, began a radical transformation of the facilities into a large and comfortable hotel, based on a project by architect Giuseppe Segusini in 1871. The project also included the construction, on the top of the Belvedere hill, of a small octagonal panoramic building, where guests could immerse themselves in the silent panorama of the surrounding countryside while enjoying the ferruginous water. From 1886, it became the seat of the “Order of the Sisters of S. Maria Bambina” college and boarding school, hosting the first fifteen female students: girls who received a human formation based on faith and virtue, with a rigorous education in the fields of music, dance, and painting. During the First World War, the college structure was transformed into a Military Hospital, hosting up to 6000 infantrymen: a wall plaque commemorates these events. After resuming its educational activities, the Institute, during the tragic events of the Second World War, suffered the occupation of its buildings by German troops and again its designation as a military hospital. At the end of the war events, the College resumed its educational activities with middle and teacher training schools, representing, until its recent closure, an important educational institution for the entire Pedemontana region.