The Fondazione Ragghianti, named after one of the greatest Italian art historians of the 20th century and his wife Licia Collobi (also a distinguished scholar), was established in 1981 thanks to the donation, by the Ragghianti spouses, of their library, photo library, and archive to the Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca. It has always aimed to offer the city and the north-western Tuscan territory, as well as anyone interested, a tool for studying art, both in history and in the present.

The Foundation is located in the evocative monumental complex of San Micheletto, inside the city walls, near Porta Elisa and the Botanical Garden: an ideal place for study, research, and enjoyment of beauty and culture.

The Fondazione Ragghianti is one of the most important specialized Italian libraries in art history. The archives (accessible by appointment) and the collection of brochures and photographs, totaling over one hundred and fifty thousand, are also of extraordinary interest.

Since the beginning of its activity, the Fondazione Ragghianti has organized important art exhibitions, establishing itself as an exhibition center of excellence recognized internationally.

Also open since December 2016 are the "Pier Carlo Santini Sculpture Gardens", a permanent exhibition of 32 works from the Foundation's collection. The exhibited sculptures are by important artists, mostly Italian; most of them were donations received in the 1980s and 1990s. Decisive in the establishment of this collection was Pier Carlo Santini (Lucca, 1924 - Florence, 1993), the unforgettable first director of the Fondazione Ragghianti. Hence the desire to duly honor him by dedicating these "Pier Carlo Santini Sculpture Gardens", intended as a gift of beauty and meaning for the city of Lucca and all visitors to this place.

In the first cloister, there are sculptures by Giò Pomodoro, Gigi Guadagnucci, Girolamo Ciulla, Marcello Guasti, Alba Gonzales, Pietro Cascella, Paolo Triglia, Ugo La Pietra, Rosario Murabito, Pier Giorgio Balocchi, Pino Castagna, Quinto Ghermandi, and Nado Canuti. In the spaces of the Fondazione Ragghianti library, there are works by Alberto Viani, Vittorio Tavernari, Giuseppe Rivadossi, Giuliano Vangi, and Ivan Theimer. In the second cloister, we find monumental works in stone and marble by Mario Negri, Lorenzo Guerrini, Luciano Pera, and Salvatore Sava, as well as two terracottas and ceramics by Pino Castagna and Novello Finotti.