Visited in 2021
Duration of visit : 3 hours
Manicomio di R
In the 1870’s Manicomio di R was built. At the time, it was a small charity hospital and over the years it was expanded and transformed into a mental asylum which at its peak moment housed 1800 patients.
In those manicomio’s the most cruel therapies were used to “cure” patients. From electroshock therapy to all kinds of new and experimental surgery on the nervous system.
When the Basaglia Law was introduced in 1978, this asylum was forced to stop its operations just like many other asylums in the country. It eventually closed down in the 80’s and has been decaying ever since.
The large building is in a poor state and a couple of years ago the structure had to be reinforced with steel beams and cables to prevent the outer walls from collapsing on the streets. Yet, no further attempts have been made in order to save the building… the roofs are still in bad shape and the structure seems ready to collapse at any moment.
