La Rinnovata School is part of the Comprehensive Institute Rinnovata, which consists of three campuses (Dante, Rinnovata, Puecher) from primary school to lower secondary school. It is located in Milan, in the northwest area, between the city center and the outskirts. The total number of students in the Comprehensive Institute is over 1200.

The Rinnovata and Dante Alighieri campuses implement the Pizzigoni method, conceived by its founder, Giuseppina Pizzigoni, at the beginning of the century. In the following lines, we will provide some information to better understand this woman who made a significant impact on pedagogy during that period, yet unfortunately remains relatively unknown today.

Giuseppina Pizzigoni was born in Milan on March 21, 1870. She became a teacher in 1888 and was employed by the Municipality of Milan in 1889.

During this time, the experiences of "active schooling" were spreading in American and North European schools, which emphasized the centrality of children's needs and activities while respecting their physical, mental, emotional, and relational development. In Milan, Pizzigoni became involved in the movement of pedagogical and innovative experiences, advocating for radical organizational and methodological changes. She believed in the importance of combatting rote learning and dogmatic teaching methods. Instead, she emphasized the role of direct and interactive experiences in the learning process, advocating for a "school open to the world and experiences" that could result from it. This led to the birth of "La Rinnovata." In 1909, Commendator Innocenzo Vigliardi Paravia, Cavalier Ercole Marelli, and Dr. Marco De Marchi promised to support Pizzigoni in implementing her idea of a new school. Other supporters included Felice Bisleri and Cariplo. The search for funds and authoritative support continued throughout the year. The Promoter Committee was formed, chaired by Senator Giovanni Celoria, with the participation of psychologist Treves, neurologist Medea, scientists Calzecchi and Murani, Minister of Agriculture Mauri, and many other distinguished representatives from the world of culture and entrepreneurship in Lombardy. A plot of land in the area known as "La Ghisolfa," on the road to Bovisa, along with the use of a prefabricated pavilion called "Docker," was granted by the prefectural commissioner. The land was equipped with facilities for agricultural exercises, an apiary, a poultry house, many trees, and infrastructure for outdoor play and sports. Thus, the experiment began in the 1911-12 school year, welcoming 64 students divided into two mixed classes. In the following years, there was a significant increase in enrollment requests. At the same time, the interest from representatives of official pedagogy and educational institutions in Italy and Europe grew in the Pizzigoni methodology.

The achievements and successes necessitated the construction of a new school building. The project was entrusted to engineer Valverti, following Pizzigoni's indications, who was the first in Italy to integrate educational and didactic needs with the building's structure, creating an "educational learning environment" (the building is single-story, with classrooms having large doors and windows to provide direct access to external spaces, which were also designed to offer learning opportunities, e.g., geometric-shaped flowerbeds, etc.). The current Rinnovata building was inaugurated on October 30, 1927. Two years later, Pizzigoni stepped down from the school's direction to focus on spreading her method through the initiatives of Opera Pizzigoni, formerly the Promoter Committee, established as a Moral Entity by Royal Decree on October 23, 1927, No. 2116. They also started offering didactic specialization courses.

On August 4, 1947, Giuseppina Pizzigoni passed away in poverty in Saronno. The city of Milan paid homage to her distinguished figure, transferring her remains to the Monumental Cemetery and dedicating a street in her name. In the following years, several schools and classes, both in Italy and abroad, adopted the Pizzigoni method. The Opera Pizzigoni works to spread the ideas of Giuseppina Pizzigoni and her teaching approach."