Founded in 1896 as a private school by a group of teachers who had seen the need for a technical school in Lucca, the Institute was officially recognised by the State in 1904. At first, the school used the instruments from the Royal Secondary of Lucca for teaching. Later, it was endowed by scientific instruments purchased thanks to contributions from teachers and the townspeople of Lucca. Today the collection of physics instruments, dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the naturalist collection contribute to narrate the history of scientific education in nineteenth-century Tuscany.

Of special interest is the complete edition of the Encyclopédie of Diderot and D'Alembert printed in 1758, and an edition of the plates illustrating the Anatomia Universale (Anatomia Universa XLIV tabulis aeneis iuxta archetypum hominis adulti accuratissime repraesentata) of Paolo Mascagni, published posthumously in nine issues in Pisa from 1823 to 1831. Mascagni's work was valuable, both scientifically and educationally, for the teaching of anatomy. In fact, the 44 plates illustrating the life-size human figure and its anatomical parts began to be used in place of direct demonstrations on cadavers.