The twelve marble busts exhibited here were originally placed in the entrance hall of Asilo Rossi (a Nursery School founded by Rossi) in accordance to principles held dear by Alessandro Rossi who saw them as moral paragons for the children educated within the institution: at the centre stands the Savoia royal family, to the right educators and Church representatives, to the left Italy’s founding fathers. Some works were commissioned by Rossi’s descendants.

The busts have been subject to renovations in the past few years and have yet to be returned to their original location, in part due to the fire that destroyed the building on the night of February the 2nd 2009. All busts were realised using marble from Carrara.

The Asilo Rossi was built in two phases, in accordance to the project by the architect Antonio Caregaro Negrin. The first section, completed in 1872, could host 250 students and was expanded in 1881 by adding two more floors and making it twice as spacious. Unfortunately on the 2nd of February 2009 a fire destroyed most of the building, at a time when the restoration work was on hold. In addition to the twelve busts, four vases, which originally decorated the façade of Asilo Rossi, have also been restored and are exhibited in Palazzo Fogazzaro’s exterior gallery.