Spedale di Sant'Antonio

The Spedale was born in a place of transit such as Lastra a Signa, serving as hospitality for pilgrims and wayfarers, walking along the Via Pisana. It was built between 1416 and 1421 by the Consoli dell'Arte della Seta, according to Francesco di Leccio da San Miniato's will. The assistance provided by these institutes, led by an organisation, a religious company or a town guild, like the Arte della Seta silk guild in this case, was mainly directed to the poor.

Because of its architectural features it sets a precedent, on par with the Spedale di San Matteo that once stood on piazza San Marco in Florence, for Brunelleschi's Spedale degli Innocenti.

The complex used to welcome wayfarers with a seven-arch loggia, overlooking the wooden portals that give access to the  ground floor halls. In contrast to the city hospitals, the poorhouses in the county soon experienced a downward slide, the effects of which were already visible at Sant'Antonio in 1642.

At the end of the 18th century the porch at the entrance was used to host food sellers, and in 1785 the whole building underwent renovations and transformations, passing in private hands. Later it was used for different purposes, until it hosted the Teatro della Fenice in the early 19th century.