The Ragghianti Foundation , named after one of the greatest Italian art historians of the twentieth century and his wife Licia Collobi (also a distinguished scholar), was established in 1981 thanks to the donation by the Ragghianti couple of their library, photo library and archive to the Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca. It has always had the aim of " offering the city and the territory of north-western Tuscany, as well as anyone interested, a tool for studying art, in history and in the present ".

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

The Ragghianti Foundation is one of the most important Italian libraries specializing in art history. Also of extraordinary interest are the archives (which can be consulted by appointment) and the collection of brochures and photographs, which amount to over one hundred and fifty thousand.

Since the beginning of its activity, the Ragghianti Foundation has organized important art exhibitions, gaining recognition as an internationally recognized exhibition center of excellence.

Furthermore, since December 2016, the " Pier Carlo Santini Sculpture Gardens ", a permanent exhibition of 32 works belonging to the Foundation's collection, have been open. The sculptures on display are by important artists, especially Italian; for the most part these are donations that arrived during the 1980s and 1990s. Pier Carlo Santini (Lucca, 1924 - Florence, 1993), the first unforgettable director of the Ragghianti Foundation, was decisive in the creation of this collection. Hence the desire to dutifully pay homage to him with the naming of these " The gardens of Pier Carlo Santini sculpture " which intend to be a gift of beauty and meaning for the city of Lucca and for 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 Ragghianti Foundation 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 and also two terracottas and ceramics by Pino Castagna and Novello Finotti .