Collegio Rotondi is a Catholic charter school located in Gorla Minore, a small town in the province of Varese, Lombardy.

Giovanni Terzaghi, the major canon of the Duomo, had no heirs and bequeathed his properties to the Oblates with the commitment to perpetually sustain the vitality of the Church of Saint Maurice and to create a place dedicated to the children's education.

[4] In the 18th century the Collegio modernized as Milan became one of the main poles of Illuminism, guided by the philosophical movement of rationalism and the growing affirmation of science.

In the 19th century the Collegio was impacted by Italian unification in 1861, which altered the power of the Church of Rome and of Pope Pius IX.

[8] In the final years of his rectorship, Don Rossi fought to obtain from the Italian Government new recognition to uphold the importance of the education the Collegio provided and restate its autonomy.

[3]After World War I, the Collegio returned to its regular life, reinforcing its renown and dealing with the school's needs, such as the contradictions of the Roman Catholic Church during fascism.

[7] When the war ended, the new rector, Don Pietro Cazzulani, started the first renovations from the monumental part of the old building and concentrated on education, continuing the teaching in the summer.

[2] The rector Don Lino Mangini opened two new educational courses, the classical and scientific high school programs.

The Collegio moved the female section in the original building, changing the norm of the school to a mixed-sex education model.

At the top, there is a crowned eagle, evocative of the Holy Roman Empire, which is a symbol of power, victory, prosperity, and greatness.

[2] The motto of the Collegio, represented in the lower part of the crest, is a phrase in Latin, taken from Giovanni Terzaghi's will and it is, "erudire et edocere".

[2] The others were removed in the second half of the 20th century to build new windows to create more light in the classrooms located on the lower level of the quadriporticus.

[4] The walls of the upper loggia were decorated with a series of 24 pictures representing some of the most significant characters in Italian culture, called spiriti magni.

Giovanni Boccaccio and other historical characters such as the poet Giacomo Leopardi and the musician Giuseppe Verdi, were not selected by the commissioners of the cycle of paintings due to their anticlerical and atheistic position towards the Church of Rome.

Don Carlo Crotti modernized it by removing the baroque balustrade; this renovation process directly connected the nave with the altar.

The stained glass windows on the walls were added in the 1970s and are decorated with the representation of the seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church.The ceiling is richly decorated by stucco work and by the representation of Saint Charles Borromeo, founder of the Oblates, and of Aloysius Gonzaga, protector of the youth, in the act of adoring Our Lady with her child Jesus.

[4] The first historical evidence regarding the Church of Saint Maurice (Chiesa di San Maurizio) is documented in the ''Liber notitiae Sanctorum Mediolani'' written by Goffredo da Bussero and dated between 1290 and 1310.

It states that the church was owned by the Terzaghi family and underwent numerous architectural modifications and enhancements over the years, particularly during the first half of the 18th century.

In the 20th century, Rector Monsignor Rossi undertook the restoration of the campanile, the facade and the frescoes within the church due to their degradation caused by humidity.

Subsequent restoration work was carried out after World War II and in the 1970s when Rector Monsignor Lino Mangini extended the building's facade and constructed a crypt beneath it.

During these works, some new frescoes were discovered: some are located in the apsidal area and present the typical features of Baroque, while the other two are along the central nave and respectively belong to the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

On the wall over the altar, there is a plate of polychrome marble, enriched by a large altarpiece representing Saint Maurice (in Italian San Maurizio), from which the church takes its name.

[2] The bell tower is characterized by a simple architecture, realized in bricks, stones, and wood, that integrates with the surrounding buildings.

[12] A difference between the curriculum of Collegio Rotondi and other schools is that during the first year children are taught to experiment detachment from their parents, recognise cultural diversity, how to communicate their needs and emotions, and develop a sense of belonging.

Educational pursuits include subjects such as history, geography, music, sports, art, mathematics, science, and digital technology.

[14] The secondary education level has a duration of three years in which students continue learning Italian, English, music, art, and motor science.