Secluded and less frequented roads were leading us to this former sanatorium in some Italian hills. We were surprised about the easy access and the amount of inventory which was left behind.
Three levels, barely any vandalism but natural decay in a very advanced state. Mold fungi are spreading and plaster is falling off the wall on a large-scale. In combination with the vast amount of left-behind furniture this place becomes some kind of urbex goldmine. When you take a look at the roof, it's no wonder that decay is proceeding so fast.
Once this small hospital was a shelter for children that were suffering from lung diseases. The remote location in the mountains and the numerous surrounding forests are providing healthy air which was necessary to treat tuberculosis and other diseases.
In the 1930s this facility was opened. The property with lavishly laid out garden offered enough space for a great number of children. Apparently only boys were treated here. This was a facility of the church, so especially nuns were nursing the sick. That's the reason why there's also a small chapel on the second floor.
During the time of World War II, the hospital wasn't operated. As a result, partisans who were fighting the fascist regime of Italy settled down here. For a few months in 1944 this place became a sickbay for the guerilla troops. Due to the size and the numerous spacious dorm rooms the institution was a perfect fit for that. But when German troops were coming closer and closer the facility had to be cleared. Nazi soldiers were now occupying the hospital. But the young doctors who were supporting the cause of the partisans became famous and are a symbol of resistance even today. In these rooms they have risked their lives to liberate Italy from the dictatorship at that time.
After the war, the building then was used as a health center for respiratory disorders until the end of the 1960s. Since then it's been abandoned. Many years there weren't any potential buyers at auction sales. Until the derelict site found a new owner in 2018. Around the time of our exploration the hospital was handed over to a company that wants to run a veterinarian clinic here in near future. So, after 50 years of vacancy there's now finally hope for this historical building. And we might be one of the last people who will ever be able to see the place in such an advanced state of decay.
