Education Centre was also founded as a permanent training centre in the town of Torrevecchia Teatina, while the Teacher Training School (SSIS) opened in Chieti. The Centre for Research in Aging, supported by the Ministry of Universities and Research, gained national relevance as the first Italian centre dedicated to research into healthy aging and age-related diseases. In 2002, the university opened four new faculties, with a consequent increase in student numbers that led to the creation of a second teaching centre at the Madonna delle Piane campus in Chieti. The following year saw the birth of the D'Annunzio University Foundation and the official opening of the Centre for Research in Aging, which took place in the presence of Minister Letizia Moratti. In 2004, the centre was recognized with a special advisory status by the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The university later funded and promoted the Leonardo da Vinci University, based in Torrevecchia Teatina, which was legally recognised in 2004. It forms the online campus of D'Annunzio University and delivers its services exclusively online. Following the approval of the Gelmini's reform in 2012, all faculties were replaced by thirteen departments organized into two schools. Campus Chieti D'Annunzio University's 48.9 acres (19.8 ha) main campus is centered on Madonna delle Piane in Chieti Scalo, about 3 miles (5 km) northwest of downtown Chieti. Its facilities are organised within a unitary structure which includes natural elements and pre-existing buildings. It is the statutory seat of the university and contains the central administrative offices, including the rectorate and general directorate. Most of the D'Annunzio University's academic programs are located on the campus in Madonna delle Piane, which houses two schools and seven departments including the School of Advanced Studies. It contains the main libraries of the university as well as five research centres. It is the home of Rectorate Auditorium which serves as the university's main venue for music concerts, lectures, and academic ceremonies. Giardino dei Semplici is a botanical garden operated by the D'Annunzio University. It is located on the southwest corner of the campus in Madonna delle Piane and hosts a collection of over 400 medicinal plant species. The Nature Trail is an educational trail running across the campus area and covering 1.4 kilometres (0.87 mi). Many of the university's sports facilities are located in the campus. D'Annunzio University provides housing for undergraduates, graduate students, and professional students at the