Visited in 2021
Duration of visit : 4 hours
Manicomio di V
Back in the days, it was normal to seperate the ‘mad’ people from society by putting them into mental asylums. Patients were being tortured in all kinds of experiments because it was thought this was the only cure for their illnesses. Most people which were put into those manicomio’s were never released back into society and many even died here, as a result of their treatments.
This place was no other, it was built near the end of the 19th century in neoclassical style and was split, one half for males and the other for female patients. There was room for over 1000 patients and more than 400 employees. The most remarkable part of this asylum is the curved corridor with isolation cells, built for the most violent patients.
In 1978, the Basaglia law was introduced, marking the reform of the psychiatric system in Italy. All asylums needed to be closed and replaced with community-based services. In 1998 the reformation was completed, and this asylum closed it’s doors forever.
In some hallways and rooms, you can still find remnants of the past, like wheelchairs, medical equipment, beds and medical files. A small part of the large complex is still in use today and among the decayed rooms, you can still find some with the lights turned on, giving the place weird atmosphere.
