Ville Sbertoli (also known as Casa di salute Sbertoli) was a lunatic asylum in Pistoia, Italy. The original structure was built in the 17th century. In 1868, it was bought by Agostino Sbertoli, who wanted to create a health facility for the wealthiest familiesin the region. After being used as a political prison during the Second World War , it was transformed into a public psychiatric hospital in 1951. The complex is now abandoned. Location Ville Sbertoli is located in the park on Via Colle Gigliato in the town of Pistoia, Italy. The entrance gate faces a small street called Via Solitaria. Villa Franchini Taviani, one of the original two structures, is located on a hill on the Colle Gigliato. It can be accessed from Via di Bigiano, an avenue of cypress trees. Villa Tanzi Lugaro, the second of the two original buildings, is located on the lower part of the hill, and can be seen from the city centre. Over twenty additional buildings were added later, and are located in the surrounding area. The beginnings The original two buildings were built between 1600 and 1700 and consisted of the two villas: Villa Franchini Taviani and Villa Giovacchini Rosati. 300x300px|Villa di Mezzogiorno, 1925 They were originally purchased by Agostino Sbertoli, a doctor at the San Benedetto mental hospital in Pesaro, as his private residence. Between 1868 and 1876, Sbertoli turned them into a psychiatric hospital. The first patient was admitted on March 18, 1868: A 29 year-old Florentine man suffering from epilepsy. After his admission, the hospital began to gain fame . In a few years, patients from all over Europe were being treated at the hospital, prompting Sbertoli to start an expansion project (1880-1900) to accommodate more patients. The hospital grounds eventually covered and held over 20 structures, with 9 serving as villas to house patients. Patients were assigned to different buildings based on their gender, social status, and the type of illness. Several famous psychiatrists worked at the hospital, including Cesare Lombroso (a professor of forensic medicine at Torino University, and the founder of criminal anthropology) and Eugenio Tanzi, the director of S. Salvi mental hospital in Florence. Famous patients included the jurist Francesco Bonaini and Severino Ferrari, the Italian poet and literature critic (a close friend of the Italian poet Pascoli). After Agostino Sbertoli's death in 1898, his son Nino, also a psychiatrist, inherited his father's work, continuing the expansion process. Nino Sbertoli assigned doctor Giulio Casanova as a director. He combined Ville Sbertoli and Ville Casanova (built-in 1895) to create the “Grande Sanatorium Toscano”, which operated until 1919. In 1920, the building was sold to a private group from Pistoia. Various mental illnesses were treated in Ville Sbertoli, including depression, epilepsy, alcoholism, hypochondriac disorders, chronic delirium, manic exaltation and madness. A range of different treatments were applied depending on the illnesses , including the use of electricity to heal slight paralysis, hydrotherapy, the use of ice on the head, leeches and vesicants on the head and anus. During World War II During the fascist period in 1943–1944, the city of Pistoia was subject to three heavy aerial attacks. Due to the damages caused by bombing , the Repubblica Sociale Italiana authorities moved prisoners from the jail of Pistoia to Ville Sbertoli, turning the hospital into a detention center for political prisoners. In 1944, Silvano Fedi and other partisans fighting the fascist regime attacked the buildings and released 54 males, 3 females (2 of them Jewish). After the end of the war, Ville Sbertoli was restored to serve its original purpose psychiatric care . From the 1950s until its closure In 1950, the structure (then owned by a private group from Pistoia) was sold to the province of Pistoia, turning the building into a provincial neuropsychiatric hospital. The government minister of Italy, Alcide de Gasperi, inspected Ville Sbertoli, determining it to be unsuitable for operation . This was due to the low level of patients' treatment, lack of medical equipment, poor record management, overcrowding and decaying premises. In 1978, neuropyschiatrist Franco Basaglia created a national reformation system known as Legge Basaglia. The system aimed at ending the poor treatment of patients and increasing focus on the study of illnesses. This resulted in the closure of Ville Sbertoli on May 13, 1978, along with all other mental hospitals in Italy. From 1978, Ville Sbertoli started taking care of non-mental health treatments until the structure was gradually closed, at which point the buildings were abandoned. The villas today In 2019, the region of Tuscany agreed to a program of structural reconstruction, which remained unimplemented in 2020. The villas are currently closed to the public. The original patients' rooms retain interesting drawings on the walls, including illustrations of guns, people and trees using bright colours such as green, yellow or blue . The drawings are believed to have been created by patients. The outside of the buildings retain some of the machines used to treat patients using Electroconvulsive Therapy. Other remains include old documents, water bottles, medical records, and books. People have illegally visited the buildingsby entering from the back, where the windows are secured only with wooden boards . The only people who are authorized access to the building are the neighbours, who are in charge of cleaning the water purifier. Although it remains closed to the public, it is possible to visit it by getting a specific permit from the ASL (Italian Health Association) known as permit n°3. Original structures (1868–1890) The original structure consisted of two villas: Villa Franchini is 39 feet high with three floors and surface area of 21,5m x 17,5m. It has a typical style of the 18th century villa, with a façade of three rows of windows with a balcony, decorated and formed with an iron railing with the Sbertoli family crest on top. The building was surrounded by an enclosed garden with a group of columns, with flower boxes on top, and an iron gate constructed by the architect Girolamo de Rossi. Until 1894, this represented the only way to access the whole structure. The entrance is decorated with a monument dedicated to Galileo Galilei. Villa Rosati is 42 feet high, also consists of three floors, with a surface area of 45m x 10,5m. The roof of the building includes three balconies, creating extra height. Like Villa Franchini, the construction of Villa Rosati is dated to the 18th century. Today, the interiors are well maintained in comparison to Villa Franchini, with salons on the ground and first floors, both decorated with an iron railing and paintings on the walls. First expansion and reorganization of the site (1880–1896) Increasing demand for new patients resulted in 20 years of expanding construction work, which started in 1880. This expansion enabled Agostino Sbertoli to reallocate the patients to different buildings, based on specific criteria such as the type of the mental illness, gender, and the patient's financial resources. The asylum was reconstructed with the union of the two original villas of Villa Franchini and Villa Rosati. The architects Carlo Livi and Francesco Azzurri based the redesign on "littered pavilions", a specific model aimed at the creation of an environment different from the typical idea of hospitals. This significantly contributed towards recovery of patients, creating a peaceful and calm feeling of family and community. It consisted of a village format, with independent buildings surrounded by gardens. The first block, previously known as Villa Rosati , was redefined as " Villa di Mezzogiorno " due to its position. It consisted of 50 luxurious apartments, and was specifically dedicated to wealthy patients of both genders. Patients who lived in this specific structure had the opportunity to join the Sunday masses, organised by the administration. The second block , known as " Villa di Levante " , was built in 1880 and assigned to specifically male patients. It consisted of 24 rooms, including three recreation rooms and a garden. Villa Centrale was built in 1896, and  also known as Villa Franchini. It was divided into different apartments for residential female patients and for key staff, including the director of the institute and the female inspector. The structures were connected by an internal phone system and a private aqueduct. Expansion of Villa Franchini (1893–1896) Constructions continued in 1893, expanding Villa Centrale with new kitchens, dining room, and bathroom. A new entrance was built to give patients immediate access to the centre of the villas. In 1896 an additional villa was constructed, called Villa Serena. This was divided into luxury apartments available to wealthy female patients. Additional construction work included bathrooms, a stable and the house for the gardener. The two structures of Villini were located next to Villa Centrale and Villa Levante. They consisted of: six rooms, a bathroom (shared by all patients), a gallery, and a loft with three rear windows. Patients could enter the building through the main entrance of Villa Levante. The structure consisted of a long corridor of patient rooms on the ground floor. Since this area was dedicated to patients with potentially violent conditions, the doors contained a central hole of 5 cm for staff observation, and the walls were cushioned for sound proofing and patient safety. On the top floor, the loft area was used by the nurses of the building . Nino Sbertoli gave the management of the buildings to a doctor Giulio Casanova, who joined the buildings of Ville Sbertoli with " Ville di Casanova " . Fables about the site Throughout the years, many theories tried to explain the origins of the structures . One of them states that the Villa was bought by Sbertoli's family when one of Agostino's sons presented mental disorders. According to this theory, Sbertoli dedicated his whole life trying to find a cure for his son. His attempts proved to be unsuccessful and the boy died. In honour of his death, the father decided to donate all his wealth (including the villas) to whoever could help cure people with the same type of mental disorder. According to stories from visitors, many of them can still hear screaming, moaning and crying which are said to come from the ghosts of past patients. People have also claimed that the old piano found in the central hall of the structure is still played by Sbertoli's son. After visiting the structure, it is said that visitors become dominated by a feeling of sadness - as if the old patients' spirits want them to feel the pain they felt while living there.
Ville Sbertoli (also known as Casa di salute Sbertoli) was a lunatic asylum in Pistoia, Italy. The original structure was built in the 17th century. In 1868, it was bought by Agostino Sbertoli, who wanted to create a health facility for wealthy families. After serving as a political prison during World War II , it was transformed into a public psychiatric hospital in 1951. The complex was later abandoned. Location Ville Sbertoli is located in the park on Via Colle Gigliato in Pistoia, Italy. The entrance gate faces a small street called Via Solitaria. Villa Franchini Taviani, one of the original two structures, is located on a hill on the Colle Gigliato. It can be accessed from Via di Bigiano, an avenue of cypress trees. Villa Tanzi Lugaro, the second of the two original buildings, is located on the lower part of the hill, and can be seen from the city centre. Over twenty buildings were added later, in the surrounding area. Origin The original two buildings were built between 1600 and 1700 and consisted of the two villas: Villa Franchini Taviani and Villa Giovacchini Rosati. 300x300px|Villa di Mezzogiorno, 1925 They were originally purchased by Agostino Sbertoli, a doctor at the San Benedetto mental hospital in Pesaro, as his private residence. Between 1868 and 1876, Sbertoli turned them into a psychiatric hospital. The first patient was admitted on March 18, 1868: a 29 year-old Florentine man suffering from epilepsy. After his admission, the hospital began to gain recognition . In a few years, patients from across Europe were treated at the hospital, prompting Sbertoli to start an expansion project (1880-1900) to accommodate more patients. The hospital grounds eventually covered and held over 20 structures, with 9 serving as villas to house patients. Patients were assigned to buildings based on their gender, social status, and the type of illness. Several famous psychiatrists worked at the hospital, including Cesare Lombroso (a professor of forensic medicine at Torino University, and the founder of criminal anthropology) and Eugenio Tanzi, the director of S. Salvi mental hospital in Florence. Famous patients included jurist Francesco Bonaini and Severino Ferrari, the Italian poet and literature critic (a close friend of Italian poet Pascoli). After Agostino Sbertoli's death in 1898, his son Nino, also a psychiatrist, inherited his father's work, continuing the expansion process. Nino Sbertoli assigned doctor Giulio Casanova as a director. He combined Ville Sbertoli and Ville Casanova (built-in 1895) to create the “Grande Sanatorium Toscano”, which operated until 1919. In 1920, the building was sold to a private group from Pistoia. Various mental illnesses were treated in Ville Sbertoli, including depression, epilepsy, alcoholism, hypochondriac disorders, chronic delirium, manic exaltation and madness. A range of treatments were applied depending on the malady , including the use of electricity to heal slight paralysis, hydrotherapy, the use of ice on the head, leeches and vesicants on the head and anus. World War II During the fascist period in 1943–1944, the city of Pistoia was subject to three heavy aerial attacks. Due to the bombing damage , the Repubblica Sociale Italiana authorities moved prisoners from the jail of Pistoia to Ville Sbertoli, turning the hospital into a detention center for political prisoners. In 1944, Silvano Fedi and other partisans fighting the fascist regime attacked the buildings and released 54 males, 3 females (2 Jewish). After the war, Ville Sbertoli was restored to serve its original purpose . Closure In 1950, the structure (then owned by a private group from Pistoia) was sold to the province of Pistoia, turning the building into a provincial neuropsychiatric hospital. The prime minister of Italy, Alcide de Gasperi, inspected Ville Sbertoli, determining it to be unsuitable . This was due to the low level of patient treatment, lack of equipment, poor record management, overcrowding and decaying premises. In 1978, neuropyschiatrist Franco Basaglia created a national reformation system known as Legge Basaglia. The system aimed at ending the poor treatment of patients and increasing focus on the study of illnesses. This resulted in the closure of Ville Sbertoli on May 13, 1978, along with all other mental hospitals in Italy. From 1978, Ville Sbertoli started taking care of non-mental health treatments until the structure was gradually closed, at which point the buildings were abandoned. Twenty-first century In 2019, the region of Tuscany agreed to a program of structural reconstruction, which remained unimplemented in 2020. The villas are closed to the public. The original patients' rooms retain interesting drawings on the walls, including illustrations of guns, people and trees . The drawings are believed to have been created by patients. The outside of the buildings retain some of the machines used to treat patients using Electroconvulsive Therapy. Other relics include documents, water bottles, medical records, and books. People have trespassed in the buildings . The only people who are authorized access to the building are the neighbours, who are in charge of cleaning the water purifier. Although it remains closed to the public, it is possible to get a specific permit from the ASL (Italian Health Association) . Original structures (1868–1890) The original villas: Villa Franchini is 39 feet high with three floors and surface area of 21,5m x 17,5m. It has a typical style of an18th century villa, with a façade of three rows of windows with a balcony, decorated and formed with an iron railing with the Sbertoli family crest on top. The building was surrounded by an enclosed garden with a group of columns, with flower boxes on top, and an iron gate constructed by the architect Girolamo de Rossi. Until 1894, this represented the only way to access the structure. The entrance is decorated with a monument dedicated to Galileo Galilei. Villa Rosati is 42 feet high, also three floors, with a surface area of 45m x 10,5m. The roof includes three balconies, creating extra height. Like Villa Franchini, the construction of Villa Rosati dates to the 18th century. Today, the interiors are well maintained in comparison to Villa Franchini, with salons on the ground and first floors, both decorated with an iron railing and paintings on the walls. First expansion and site reorganization (1880–1896) Increasing demand from new patients resulted in 20 years of expanding construction work, which started in 1880. This expansion enabled Agostino Sbertoli to reallocate patients to different buildings, based on criteria such as the type of the mental illness, gender, and the patient's financial resources. The asylum was reconstructed with the union of Villa Franchini and Villa Rosati. Architects Carlo Livi and Francesco Azzurri based the redesign on "littered pavilions", a specific model aimed at the creation of an environment different from the typical idea of hospitals. This significantly contributed towards recovery of patients, creating a peaceful feeling of family and community. It consisted of a village format, with independent buildings surrounded by gardens. Villa Rosati was redefined as Villa di Mezzogiorno due to its position. It consisted of 50 luxurious apartments, and was specifically dedicated to wealthy patients of both genders. Patients in this specific structure had the opportunity to join the Sunday masses, organised by the administration. The second block became Villa di Levante , was built in 1880 and housed male patients. It consisted of 24 rooms, including three recreation rooms and a garden. Villa Centrale was built in 1896, and was also known as Villa Franchini. It was divided into apartments for residential female patients and for key staff, including the director of the institute and the female inspector. The structures were connected by an internal phone system and a private aqueduct. Expansion of Villa Franchini (1893–1896) Construction continued in 1893, expanding Villa Centrale with new kitchens, dining room, and bathroom. A new entrance was built to give patients immediate access to the centre of the villas. In 1896 an additional villa was constructed, called Villa Serena. This was divided into luxury apartments available to wealthy female patients. It included bathrooms, a stable and the house for the gardener. The two structures of Villini were located next to Villa Centrale and Villa Levante. They consisted of: six rooms, a bathroom (shared by all patients), a gallery, and a loft with three rear windows. Patients could enter the building through the main entrance of Villa Levante. The structure consisted of a long corridor of patient rooms on the ground floor. Since this area was dedicated to patients with potentially violent conditions, the doors contained a central hole of 5 cm for staff observation, and the walls were cushioned for sound proofing and patient safety. On the top floor, the loft area was used by the nurses . Nino Sbertoli gave the management of the buildings to a doctor Giulio Casanova, who joined the buildings of Ville Sbertoli with Ville di Casanova . Legend Throughout the years, many stories purported to explain the site's origins . One of them states that the Villa was bought by Sbertoli's family when one of Agostino's sons presented mental disorders. According to this theory, Sbertoli dedicated his life to finding a cure for his son. His attempts proved to be unsuccessful and the boy died. In honour of his death, the father decided to donate all his wealth (including the villas) to whoever could help cure people with the same type of mental disorder. According to visitor stories, screaming, moaning and crying can be heard that are said to come from the ghosts of past patients. Another story claims that the old piano found in the central hall of the structure is still played by Sbertoli's son. After visiting the structure, it is said that visitors become dominated by a feeling of sadness - as if the old patients' spirits want them to feel the pain they felt while living there.
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