A Walk inside the Maddalena Hospital, Rovigo.
2 min read
The sanatorium “Umberto Maddalena”, located in Rovigo, Italy, was inaugurated on February 1st 1938 in order to fight tuberculosis in all this area. Originally, as can be seen from certain postcards of the time, on the façade of the building, instead of the inscription “Ospedale U. Maddalena” there was the word “National Socialist Fascist Institute”.
Historically, Umberto Maddalena (Bottrighe, 14 December 1894 – Tirrenia, 19 March 1931) was an Italian officer and aviator. During the First World War he was a seaplane pilot for the Navy deserving three military silver medals, as well as numerous other awards for the valor and courage shown in the daring actions against the enemy.
Until the 70’s, the hospital could host up to 200 people. On May 12th, 1970, the sanatorium became officially an hospital, and on July 9th, 1973 the authorities of the Veneto region merged it with the “Ospedale generale provinciale Santa Maria della Misericordia” in Rovigo. At the end of the 90’s, the building hosted some doctors’ offices, and it was closed in 1999.
Now the hospital is reduced to a disaster, recently blitzes were also made to remove the squatters inside, and eventually (almost) all the entrances have been walled up.
