6 January 1907: The first Montessori Casa dei Bambini opens in San Lorenzo, Rome, on the feast of Epiphany when traditionally La Befana brings presents to the Children. The Casa: the best gift to children ever.

Montessori wrote about this first Casa:

What happened will always remain a mystery to me. I have tried since then to understand what took place in those children.… I brought them some of the materials which had been used for our work in experimental psychology, the items which we use today as sensorial material and materials for the exercises of practical life. I merely wanted to study the children’s reactions. I asked the woman in charge not to interfere with them in any way as otherwise I would not be able to observe them.

Anna Maria Maccheroni, Montessori's close collaborator, thought that:

The great value of her experiment is, I think, that she worked as one who is discovering an unknown power, not as one who is applying his own theories.