Colorno
The Colorno psychiatric hospital: a history full of emotions
The Colorno psychiatric hospital, located in the province of Parma, housed patients with psychiatric disorders and was able to provide them with assistance until its closure in 1978. The structure was originally built as a temporary solution following the cholera epidemic that hit Parma in 1873. However, this temporary solution became permanent, and the hospital was housed in the back of the Colorno Palace for over a century, until its final closure.
The structure of the Colorno psychiatric hospital
The Colorno psychiatric hospital covered an area of 32,500 square meters, occupying the premises of the ducal palace and the Dominican convent. The ducal palace was structured on three/four floors around courtyards, while the convent block was structured on two/four floors with a basement, accessed by two courtyards. There were also "L"-shaped blocks structured on two and three floors.
The structure underwent three construction phases, from 1873 until its closure in 1978. During the first phase, from 1873 to 1950, the premises of the ducal palace and the convent were transformed and adapted to accommodate patients. During the second phase, from 1950 to 1955, the hospital was modernized with new technologies. Finally, during the third phase, from 1955 to 1978, the Colorno psychiatric hospital was further modernized and renovated until its final closure.
After the hospital's closure, the structure underwent redevelopment works, such as the headquarters of the Historical Archive of the Asylum and the headquarters of the International School of Cuisine ALMA. However, in 2022, the structure remains completely abandoned.
The reforms of the 1960s and the occupation
The Colorno psychiatric hospital and the era of its reforms represent a crucial moment in the history of psychiatric care in Italy. In the 1960s, a series of reforms were promoted in the psychiatric field, thanks also to the commitment of Mario Tommasini, a local administrator who made the opening of the Colorno psychiatric hospital and the liberation of patients a human and political mission.
Tommasini opened up a place that was "hellish and violent" to the community and implemented a series of reforms aimed at liberating patients through social ties, community dimension, and work. In 1967, the province of Parma financed the publication of the book "Che cosa è la psichiatria?" edited by Franco Basaglia, which collected the Gorizia experience. Along with the book's publication, the province organized a photographic exhibition of Italian asylums by Carla Cerati and Gianni Berengo Gardin.
The photographic exhibition was accompanied by a demonstration of nurses who paraded through the city in straitjackets, demanding improvements in working conditions. This event marked the beginning of a new approach to caring for patients with psychiatric disorders, based on social inclusion and reform of psychiatric structures.
Conclusions
The Colorno psychiatric hospital is one of the most important testimonies of the history of psychiatric care in Italy. The structure underwent three construction phases and represented an important care center for patients with psychiatric disorders until its closure in 1978.
However, the closure of the hospital was followed by a period of abandonment and decay, which led to the loss of some important elements of the structure. Nevertheless, the Colorno psychiatric hospital remains an important place of memory and reflection on the history of psychiatric care in Italy.
