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===The beginnings===
===The beginnings===


Villa sbertoli was the private residence of Agostino Sbertoli. The villa had many rooms, dining halls, ballrooms, tennis courts, and a gymnasium. <ref name=":6">{{cite web |last1=morris |first1=cassandra |title=This 1800s Building Is Abandoned, But I Was Shocked To Learn What It USED To Be |url=https://beta.littlethings.com/lifestyle/abandoned-villa-asylum |website=www.beta.littlethings.com |accessdate= 11 May 2015}}</ref>Originally there were two villas, built between 1600 and 1700: Villa Franchini Taviani and Villa Giovacchini Rosati. Agostino Sbertoli, who was a doctor at the San Benedetto mental hospital in [[Pesaro]], bought the two buildings between 1868 and 1876 and turned them into a psychiatric hospital. In 1868 he rented Villa Franchini-Taviani, where the first patient, a 29 year old Florentine man suffering from epilepsy, was hosted, on the 18th of March 1868. From that day on, the hospital started gaining popularity, so this led Sbertoli to acquire both Villa Franchini Taviani and Villa Giovacchini Rosati so as to host more clients. <ref name=":4">{{cite web |last1=Gioffredi |first1=Sara |title=Ville Sbertoli a Pistoia. Il manicomio villaggio |url=https://associazione9cento.wordpress.com/produzioni/pistoia-e-dintorni/ex-ospedale-neuropsichiatrico-ville-sbertoli/ville-sbertoli-a-pistoia-il-manicomio-villaggio/ |website=www.associazione9cento.wordpress.com |accessdate=26 March 2013}}</ref> In a few years, patients from all over Europe were being treated in the hospital, so Sbertoli realized that expanding the facility was necessary. This expansion process began in 1880 and continued for about twenty years. Patients were divided into the different buildings according to their gender, social status and the type of illness they presented. The clinic dealt with patients suffering from various mental illnesses, as well as epileptic, alcoholic and hypochondriac people, and this was one of the main reasons why it attracted clients from all over Europe. Many famous psychiatrists worked at the nursing home, such as [[Cesare Lombroso|cesare lombroso]], professor of forensic medicine at Torino university and founder of criminal anthropology, and [[Eugenio Tanzi]], who was the director of S. Salvi mental hospital in Florence.<ref>{{cite web |title=Casa di salute Ville Sbertoli di Pistoia |url=http://www.cartedalegare.san.beniculturali.it/index.php?id=430#:~:text=La%20Casa%20di%20cura%20Sbertoli,di%20Pistoia%2C%20appena%20fuori%20citt%C3%A0.&text=Ben%20presto%20la%20casa%20di,da%20tutti%20i%20paesi%20europei. |website=www.cartedalegare.san.beniculturali.it |accessdate=24 February 2015}}</ref> The hospital hosted renowned people such as jurist [[Francesco Bonaini]] and poet Severino Ferrari. After the death in 1898 of Agostino Sbertoli, his son Nino inherited his father's work. He expanded the facility, building a power station and a covered hallway to connect the main structure to the other buildings, so that doctors and nurses could move more easily from one place to the other. Nino Sbertoli assigned the direction of the mental hospital to doctor Giulio Casanova who unified Ville Sbertoli to Ville Casanova creating the “grande sanatorium toscano” which worked until 1919. The following year the building was sold to a private group from Pistoia. <ref name=":4" />
Villa sbertoli was the private residence of Agostino Sbertoli. The villa had many rooms, dining halls, ballrooms, tennis courts, and a gymnasium. <ref name=":6">{{cite web |last1=morris |first1=cassandra |title=This 1800s Building Is Abandoned, But I Was Shocked To Learn What It USED To Be |url=https://beta.littlethings.com/lifestyle/abandoned-villa-asylum |website=www.beta.littlethings.com |accessdate= 11 May 2015}}</ref>Originally there were two villas, built between 1600 and 1700: Villa Franchini Taviani and Villa Giovacchini Rosati. Agostino Sbertoli, who was a doctor at the San Benedetto mental hospital in [[Pesaro]], bought the two buildings between 1868 and 1876 and turned them into a psychiatric hospital. In 1868 he rented Villa Franchini-Taviani, where the first patient, a 29 year old Florentine man suffering from epilepsy, was hosted, on the 18th of March 1868. From that day on, the hospital started gaining popularity, so this led Sbertoli to acquire both Villa Franchini Taviani and Villa Giovacchini Rosati so as to host more clients. <ref name=":4">{{cite web |last1=Gioffredi |first1=Sara |title=Ville Sbertoli a Pistoia. Il manicomio villaggio |url=https://associazione9cento.wordpress.com/produzioni/pistoia-e-dintorni/ex-ospedale-neuropsichiatrico-ville-sbertoli/ville-sbertoli-a-pistoia-il-manicomio-villaggio/ |website=www.associazione9cento.wordpress.com |accessdate=26 March 2013}}</ref> In a few years, patients from all over Europe were being treated in the hospital, so Sbertoli realized that expanding the facility was necessary. This expansion process began in 1880 and continued for about twenty years. Patients were divided into the different buildings according to their gender, social status and the type of illness they presented. The clinic dealt with patients suffering from various mental illnesses, as well as epileptic, alcoholic and hypochondriac people, and this was one of the main reasons why it attracted clients from all over Europe. Many famous psychiatrists worked at the nursing home, such as [[Cesare Lombroso|cesare lombroso]], professor of forensic medicine at Torino university and founder of criminal anthropology, and [[Eugenio Tanzi]], who was the director of S. Salvi mental hospital in Florence.<ref>{{cite web |title=Casa di salute Ville Sbertoli di Pistoia |url=http://www.cartedalegare.san.beniculturali.it/index.php?id=430#:~:text=La%20Casa%20di%20cura%20Sbertoli,di%20Pistoia%2C%20appena%20fuori%20citt%C3%A0.&text=Ben%20presto%20la%20casa%20di,da%20tutti%20i%20paesi%20europei. |website=www.cartedalegare.san.beniculturali.it |accessdate=24 February 2015}}</ref> The hospital hosted renowned people such as jurist [[Francesco Bonaini]] and poet Severino Ferrari. After the death in 1898 of Agostino Sbertoli, his son Nino, also a psychiatrist, inherited his father's work, continuing the expansion process of the facility, building a power station and a covered hallway to connect the main structure to the other buildings, so that doctors and nurses could move more easily from one place to the other. Nino Sbertoli assigned the direction of the mental hospital to doctor Giulio Casanova who unified Ville Sbertoli to Ville Casanova creating the “grande sanatorium toscano” which worked until 1919. The following year the building was sold to a private group from Pistoia. <ref name=":4" />


===During the World War II===
===During the World War II===

Revision as of 16:52, 17 November 2020

Ville Sbertoli
File:Ville Sbertoli view.png
Portrait representing the Villas
The map of Italy with a dot showing location of Ville Sbertoli
The map of Italy with a dot showing location of Ville Sbertoli
Location with Pistoia
Geography
LocationColle Gigliato, Via Solitaria, 51100, Tuscany, Italy
Coordinates43°57′13.702″N 10°55′5.599″E / 43.95380611°N 10.91822194°E / 43.95380611; 10.91822194
Organisation
TypeSpecialist
Services
SpecialityPsychiatric hospital
History
Opened1868
Closed1978
Building details
Map
General information
StatusAbandoned
Architectural stylePavilion model

Ville Sbertoli is the old Lunatic asylum of the city of Pistoia, Tuscany located on Colle Gigliato. In 1868 Agostino Sbertoli bought two patrician villas: Villa Franchini Taviani and Villa Giovacchini Rosati with the intention of creating a house of health for the wealthiest families. The construction began in 1880 and continued in the following years through Nino Sbertoli, Agostino Sbertoli's son. In 1951 Ville Sbertoli became a public psychiatric hospital. Today the complex counts more than 25 buildings. [1]


Location

Ville Sbertoli is an architectural complex surrounded by a park full of trees and exotic plants. The entrance to the Villas is preceded by a gate that can be reached along Via Solitaria; a street characterized by a sinuous course that allows to reach the top of the hill. [1] Villa Franchini Taviani, one of the two villas that first gave life to the complex, is located in an elevated position on the Collegigliato. It had the access on an avenue of cypresses that started from Via di Bigiano and reached the big gate that allowed the access to the garden. Villa Tanzi Lugaro, the second Villa belonging to the initial project, is located on the lower part of the hill and is visible from the town.[2] The buildings that over the years have been added to the two Villas are located in the surrounding area.

History

The beginnings

Villa sbertoli was the private residence of Agostino Sbertoli. The villa had many rooms, dining halls, ballrooms, tennis courts, and a gymnasium. [3]Originally there were two villas, built between 1600 and 1700: Villa Franchini Taviani and Villa Giovacchini Rosati. Agostino Sbertoli, who was a doctor at the San Benedetto mental hospital in Pesaro, bought the two buildings between 1868 and 1876 and turned them into a psychiatric hospital. In 1868 he rented Villa Franchini-Taviani, where the first patient, a 29 year old Florentine man suffering from epilepsy, was hosted, on the 18th of March 1868. From that day on, the hospital started gaining popularity, so this led Sbertoli to acquire both Villa Franchini Taviani and Villa Giovacchini Rosati so as to host more clients. [4] In a few years, patients from all over Europe were being treated in the hospital, so Sbertoli realized that expanding the facility was necessary. This expansion process began in 1880 and continued for about twenty years. Patients were divided into the different buildings according to their gender, social status and the type of illness they presented. The clinic dealt with patients suffering from various mental illnesses, as well as epileptic, alcoholic and hypochondriac people, and this was one of the main reasons why it attracted clients from all over Europe. Many famous psychiatrists worked at the nursing home, such as cesare lombroso, professor of forensic medicine at Torino university and founder of criminal anthropology, and Eugenio Tanzi, who was the director of S. Salvi mental hospital in Florence.[5] The hospital hosted renowned people such as jurist Francesco Bonaini and poet Severino Ferrari. After the death in 1898 of Agostino Sbertoli, his son Nino, also a psychiatrist, inherited his father's work, continuing the expansion process of the facility, building a power station and a covered hallway to connect the main structure to the other buildings, so that doctors and nurses could move more easily from one place to the other. Nino Sbertoli assigned the direction of the mental hospital to doctor Giulio Casanova who unified Ville Sbertoli to Ville Casanova creating the “grande sanatorium toscano” which worked until 1919. The following year the building was sold to a private group from Pistoia. [4]

During the World War II

During the fascist period in 1943 and 1944, after that three bombardments struck Pistoia, Repubblica Sociale Italiana authorities moved prisoners from the jail of Pistoia to the Mental hospital, turning Ville Sbertoli into a detention center for political prisoners.[3] [6] In 1944 Silvano Fedi and other partisans, who struggled against the fascist regime, attacked the buildings and released 54 males, 3 females and 2 Jews.[7] After the end of the war Ville Sbertoli became a Mental hospital again.

From the 1950s until its closure

In 1950 the private group of Pistoia which owned the facility decided to sell it to the province of Pistoia.[4] After that some laws were enacted to regulate asylums and their treatments in a better way, government minister of Italy inspected Ville Sbertoli which were considered not suitable for treating the patients because of his proper medical equipment, poor record management, overcrowding, and decaying premises.[3] In 1978 popular neuropyschiatrist Franco Basaglia made national reforms which caused the closing of all mental hospitals across Italy on May 13th. After 1978 Ville Sbertoli started taking care of other health treatments. These were gradually closed until the total abandonment of the buildings. [8]

Fables about the structure

Throughout the years, many theories have been made about the origins of the structure. One of these fables say the Villa was known to be owned by Sbertoli's family where one of Agostino's sons presented mental disorders. According to this first theory, the father of this boy dedicated his whole life trying to find some cures that could help him; his attempts proved to be useless as the boy died. In honor of his death, the father decided to donate all his luxury belongings, including the villas, to whoever could help cure people with the same type of mental disorder as his son. A second theory is the one that has been analyzed on the article: the structure was bought in the XVIII century by the doctor Agostino Sbertoli, in order to both give his son a comfortable place to live and a structure to cure him. [9] [10]

According to stories by people who visited the structure, many of them can still hear screamings, moanings, voices and crying which come from the ghosts of the patients that still live there. Visitors have also witnessed that the old piano found on the central hall of the structure is still played by the Sbertoli's son (the one according to the first fable) throughout the day. After visiting the structure, it is said that visitors are dominated by a feeling of sadness, as if the old patients' spirits wanted them to feel the pain they felt living there. [9]

Notable Personalities

Severino Ferrari

Patients

Partisans and patriots

  • Alvaro Boccardi
  • Valoris Poli
  • Aldo Calugi
  • Vinicio Giusfredi Lando
  • Silvano Fedi

Psychiatrists

Architecture

Ville Sbertoli is formed as a group of different villas, respectively:

Villa Franchini presents itself as a three flors and 39 feet heigh bulding : 21,5 x 17,5 m. It's structure is reconducted to typical XVIII century villas, due to its characteristics such as the facade with a three rows windows, decorated by balcony formed by an iron railing with the family's logo on top of it.

The building was surrounded by a garden enclosed by a group of columns with flowers boxes on top and with an iron gate constructed by the architect Girolamo de Rossi. At the entrance the guests were welcomed by a monument dedicated to Galileo Galilei.[11]

Villa Rosa presents itself as a three floors and 42 feets height building, 45 x 10,5 m. On the roof of the building there's a balcony formed by two more balconies which makes the building increase on its height. Just like villa Franchini, the construction of Villa Rosati can be also dated to the XVIII century. Surrounded by a garden, to get to the entrance the guests had to go across a straight street up the hill and get through a stone facade.

Today, the interiors are well maintained compared to Villa Franchini: a salon is found at the ground and first floor both decorated with an iron railing and paintings on the wall.[11]

Expansion of the structure (1880-1919)

Ville Sbertoli, Villa di Mezzogiorno (men's department)

Due to the increasing demand of new patients, the building was expanded.

The asylum also known as "casa di salute Sbertoli" was reconstructed with the union of the two villas: Villa Franchini and Villa Rosati.[11] The building was constructed under a specific model (diffused not only in Italy but also in Europe) in which the environment would have been part of the cure for the patients. It consisted in village form of buildings surrounded by gardens which gave the idea of a whole independent community to the people who lived there. [4]

The unification construction works, started at the end of the XVIII century , specifically in 1880; it took 20 years of work to get to the final result of how the structure is now known to the public. The expansion, also helped the owner, Agostino Sbertoli, to reallocate the patients. [4]

The first block, previously known as Villa Rosarti, was redefined as "Villa di Mezzogiorno" due to its position. It consisted of 50 luxurious apartments, and was specifically dedicated to rich people from both genders. Thanks to the reorganization of the buildings, patients who lived in this specific structure, had the opportunity to join the Sunday mass. [1]

The second block or "Villa di Levante", built in 1880 , was dedicated to male patients. It consisted of 24 rooms: it included three play rooms and a garden in which patients could spend their time. [4]

In 1896 was built "Villa Centrale": previously known as Villa Franchini, it was divided into different apartments for residential female patients. Females were not the only ones who lived there: they were joined by the director of the institute as well as the female inspector. [4]

In 1884 construction started for another building: Villa rossi and two more buildings known as "Villini". [4]

File:Villa Sbertoli main hall.png
Ville Sbertoli, hall of the structure

The Villini are found next to the buildings of Villa Centrale and Villa Levante, it's where patiens more troubled of both genders found accomodation. They consisted of: six rooms, a bathroom (shared by all patients), a gallery and a loft. Patients could enter the building through the main entrance found on the villa Levante, with three windows on the back of it. The structure consisted of a long corridor at the ground floor, in which patiens could find their rooms. Since this area was considered as the most disturbing one due to the fact that it was dedicated to patients with chronic disease, very violent, the doors presented a specific feature : a whole of 5cm was found at the center of it; another characteristic was provided by the cushioned walls which permitted patients to not hurt themselves and provided the soundproofing of each room. At the top floor, were found attics used by the nurses of the building. [4][10]

Also the building of the ex Villa - Franchini was expanded: new constructions consisted of a renewed kitchen, dining room, and a bathroom. Constructions continued in 1893, with the renewing of the entrace which could permit the guests to get immediate access to the center of the villas. Before the rebuilding, the entrance consisted of a tree lined path parallel to via Collegelato; with the renewing of the entrance, guests after crossing the three lined path, would find themselves in front of the gate of Villa Franchini-Taviani's garden. [4]

In 1896 a second villa "Villa Serena" , divived into luxury apartments, was dedicated to wealthy women patiens[4].

Passing of administration (1898-1978)

In 1898, Agostino Sbertoli, the owner of the hospital, went missing. The property passed to his son, Nino: a psychiatrist. Nino decided to kept going with the construction works of: greenhouses, warehouses, the raising of the Villini buildings and the construction of a corridor which helped with the connection of the management area witht the center of the buildings. [4]

Nino Sbertoli decides to leave the management of the building, handing it to a doctor: Giunio Casanova who decided to join the buildings of ville sbertoli with its own ones "Ville di Casanova", giving birth to a new structure known as Grande Sanantorium Toscano. [4]

File:Drawings of patients.png
Patient's drawings found inside their rooms
The villas today

In 2019, the region of Tuscany signed for program of reconstruction of the strucure however it still hasn't been put in act yet. [12]

Up to this day, the villa is not in a good condition anymore: due to the fact that there hasn't been any renovating actions the building is in phase of collapsing. The rooms, which then represented the patients' rooms, are full of drawings such as guns, people or even trees which were drawn by the patients themselves who used mostly bright colors such as green, yellow or blue. [13]

Many documents, waterbottles, medical records, books and machines used to cure the patients are still there accessible to whoever wants to visit it.

To the present day, it's very dangerous to enter the building due to the crumbling of the structure, whoever decides to visit it, have to get a specific permit from the ASL (italian health association), known as permit n°3. [14][11]

Treatments

People with various type of mental illnesses were treated in Ville Sbertoli: depression, chronic delirium, manic exaltation, madness, hypochondria, but also alcoholics, epileptics and more. For different illnesses there were different treatments such as the use of electricity to heal slight paralysis, hydrotherapy, the use of ice on the head of the patient, the use of leeches and vesicants on the head and the anus of the sick. [14]



Gallery

See also

Bibliograhpy

  • A. Ottanelli, Le Ville Sbertoli. Da Casa di salute a Ospedale neuropsichiatrico provinciale, Pisa, Pacini Editore, 2013
  • A. Stanghellini, Finestra sul lago, Firenze, Marzocco, 1954
  • F. Mazzoni, Una storia da non dimenticare. Ricostruzione dell'eccidio della Fortezza di S. Barbara del 31 marzo 1944, Pistoia, Edizioni del Comune di Pistoia, 2015

References

  1. ^ a b c architetturemanicomiali (2019-01-03). "Casa di salute "Ville Sbertoli" a Pistoia". Architetture maniacali (in Italian). Retrieved 2020-11-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ "Ex manicomio di Pistoia". Essere Altrove.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ a b c morris, cassandra. "This 1800s Building Is Abandoned, But I Was Shocked To Learn What It USED To Be". www.beta.littlethings.com. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Gioffredi, Sara. "Ville Sbertoli a Pistoia. Il manicomio villaggio". www.associazione9cento.wordpress.com. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
  5. ^ "Casa di salute Ville Sbertoli di Pistoia". www.cartedalegare.san.beniculturali.it. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  6. ^ Eleni, Mattia. "Le Ville Sbertoli: un manicomio durante l'occupazione nazifascista". www.toscananovecento.it.
  7. ^ Rossi, Italino (1981). La ripresa del Movimento Anarchico Italiano e la propaganda orale dal 1943 al 1950. Pistoia: Edizioni RL. pp. 133–140.
  8. ^ Aguano, Martina. "Le Ville Sbertoli - Un Patrimonio per la città" (PDF). Naturart. Giorgio Tesi. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  9. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ a b c d Daniele, Emilia; Toscana, Associazione dimore storiche italiane Sezione (2004). Le dimore di Pistoia e della Valdinievole: l'arte dell'abitare tra ville e residenze urbane (in Italian). Alinea Editrice. ISBN 978-88-8125-654-9.
  12. ^ redazionetoscanatoday (2019-05-08). "PISTOIA. Approvato il programma per la rigenerazione del Ceppo e la riqualificazione delle Ville Sbertoli". Toscana Today (in Italian). Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  13. ^ Tesi, Giorgio (July 2013). "NATURART" (PDF). Trimestrale di Natura, Turismo e Arte sulla provincia di Pistoia. 11: 5 – via Ceppo Ragazzi.
  14. ^ a b "Ville Sbertoli". www.urbexsilencevenezia.com. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
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