The story of the former Mombello psychiatric hospital in Limbiate is not just material for one horror film, but for several. It went into operation in 1878 and was one of the largest in the country. Up to 3,000 patients, from handicapped children to adults with serious mental illnesses, lived in the houses on the more than 20 hectares of park-like grounds.
Shielded by a six-foot wall, the clinic was a small town within a town. Many traces are lost in it, for example that of Benito Albino Dalser in 1942. He was a son of
fascist dictator Benito Mussolini and apparently told his comrades too many private things about the “Duce” during the war.
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Compared to their past, the abandoned buildings of the clinic, which has been closed since 1999, seem almost friendly today: lots of wild greenery outside, lots of colorful graffiti inside – and in the distance the laughter of children. It comes from a school that moved into one of the houses.
The entrance to the freely accessible area is on Via Monte Grappa north of the center of Limbiate. Some of the buildings are in danger of collapsing. If you want to get an idea of the situation, you should never do so at night. There are frequent robberies on the premises.
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