Just in front of Santa Maria della Vita church, some stairs lead to the majestic portico belonging to the ancient Hospital of Death, once located in the area between the portico of Pavaglione, Via de' Foscherari, Via Marchesana and Via dei Musei (former Via della Morte).

The Hospital of Death was very popular among medicine students who used the corpses of executed men to make anatomy studies in the nearby university, Palazzo dell'Archiginnasio.