Ca’ Foscari Opens the Maria Rimoldi Room: A Hub for Study and Community

Ca’ Foscari University of Venice has unveiled a new space dedicated to its students: the Maria Rimoldi Multifunctional Room (formerly the Falegnameria Bozzola), located in Cannaregio, Calle della Madonna, close to the San Giobbe Economics Campus, to which it is ideally connected.

With a total investment of 1.5 million euros, the University has renovated both the interior and exterior of the building, transforming it into a versatile space designed to serve the student community.

This large, open-plan space, featuring a reception area and controlled access, has been fully restored and now provides a place for studying, collaborating, and socialising, accessible to all Ca’ Foscari students.

Covering approximately 500 square metres, the room accommodates 100 seats with wired desks, highly adaptable furniture, a lounge area with armchairs and coffee tables, and two semi-partitioned meeting zones. The space has been designed to suit both study and social needs, fostering an environment where the Ca’ Foscari student community can learn and connect.

The room will be open Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Rector Tiziana Lippiello commented: “Today we open another space for our student community — a place designed entirely for studying, co-working, and social interaction. We have transformed an old carpentry workshop with an innovative concept that reflects the kind of environment we want to offer our students. This project is part of our Strategic Plan, which aims to expand non-teaching spaces and enrich the overall university experience. Next year, we plan to open new spaces at the Frari site in collaboration with ESU Venezia, as well as the multifunctional building at the Science Campus. By 2025, we will also open Tesa 4 at San Basilio.

We are honoured to dedicate this new space to the memory of Maria Rimoldi, a Ca’ Foscari student whose story we hope will inspire confidence and passion in our young people.


The “Maria Rimoldi” Multifunctional Room
Once a carpentry workshop filled with the sounds of tools in action, the building has now been transformed into a post-industrial space: a spacious and airy structure with striking wooden trusses and a ceiling nearly nine metres high. Likely constructed at the start of the 20th century for artisanal and manufacturing purposes, it is one of the few surviving examples of industrial architecture visible in Venice’s historic centre: a monument to the city’s past and worth preserving. Through meticulous restoration and a deliberate redesign of its purpose, the building has been improved and reintegrated into the urban fabric, adapted to meet the needs of the University.

Access is via Calle della Madonna, a side street off the Fondamenta di Cannaregio, near the Ponte dei Tre Archi. The building’s proximity to the San Giobbe Campus, the railway station, and Piazzale Roma makes it ideally suited to support university activities.

At the entrance, Istrian stone columns frame and enrich the doorway, reinforcing the sense of stepping into a space of real historical and artistic value; a space now returned to the life of the city.

Following the restoration, the room was divided into two separate zones: one designated for study and consultation, featuring equipped desks; and a central area, lit by skylights, intended for temporary uses like brief meetings, relaxation, and reading.


Who Was Maria Rimoldi?
Maria Rimoldi was an outstanding student in the early 20th century. Enrolled in 1904 (matriculation number 1218), she earned two degrees — one in Commerce (1906) and another in Accounting (1908). She became Ca’ Foscari’s first female graduate in Accounting and the first woman enrolled in the School of Commerce.

After completing her studies, Rimoldi taught at the Regie Scuole Tecniche — the Confalonieri Girls’ School and the Lombardini Boys’ School in Milan — and went on to become a leading figure in the Catholic women’s movement, contributing to debates on the new Constitution and advocating for women’s civil rights.