Along with Manicomio Di R, this was one we were really looking forward to on the road trip in 2018. It didn't disappoint in the slightest. Having seen many photographs of it before we knew how it looked inside and the photogenic nature of the entire building.

​

The religious hospital was a dedicated children's hospital high up in the mountains in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossol and located 1100 metres above sea level where the air is clean and pure which - one presumes - is adhering to the principle of clean air and its health properties. As such, many similar buildings were built in mountainous regions, usually owned by religious organisations. 

​

The hospital closed some time in the 1980s and has been left to decay ever since. On our visit in 2018, the decay was heavy in all parts of the building adding to the creepy feel throughout. On the front of the exterior we are met with the inscribed words 'Sacra famiglia Camilliani' which translates to English as  'Holy Family Camillians'.

​

When we arrived it didn't take long to make our way through the overgrown grounds and get inside the building. We spent a good 4 hours indie as there was so much to see. There are four floors in the building with countless rooms with their aged and rusting iron beds still in situ on the third floor, endless corridors and also the impressive chapel, complete with the red cross painted on the ceiling although that is somewhat faded now. In addition there is a couple of classrooms on the first floor still with the desks in place allowing us to imagine how it was when it was functioning and various other rooms such as dining room on the second floor and kitchen areas. 

 

After we finished photographing the site, we sat in the gardens in the hot sun with drinks and snacks and were glad we finally got to see this magnificent ghost if the past as it fades into a lost time.