Vivaldi’s Virgins by Barbara Quick The Ospedale della Pieta is the Venetian dumping ground for orphans. A mother can bring her baby to a special niche in the Church of the Pieta and leave it behind, confident that the child will be fed and give opportunities beyond her parents’ ability to provide. Abandoned boys are taught a trade before being sent into the world, while young girls are allowed to join the music school, and the talented, fortunate ones study under music... read more
