Unbelievably mysterious supernatural
code discovered in Volterra
- the asylum of no return.
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Tuscany, in Italy, is known for the beauty of its
picturesque rolling hills and lush valleys.
But if you venture a little
further behind this exterior,
there lays a dark past.
One that has only recently
come to a close in the ancient walled
mountaintop town of Volterra.
Volterra Psychiatric hospital, Italian:
Ospedale Psichiatrico di Volterra, is a former
psychiatric hospital that once accommodated
more than 6,000 patients.
Those who found themselves behind its walls
were not just the mentally ill,
but also unwed mothers and political prisoners.
It was closed in 1978 due to
cruel and brutal practices.
Founded in 1888, and operating for nearly a century,
it began with the promotion of fresh air
and ergotherapy - or work therapy.
One of the Institute's first directors
Luigi Scabia, promoted the concept of an
autonomous village, where the sick person
did not have to feel locked up between four walls,
but was to feel like part of a family,
free to walk near the hospital
and in the surrounding countryside.
This 'therapy' was not without criticism,
with some complaining that putting patients
to work was economic exploitation.
Through both his effort and favorable
economic conditions the complex expanded
rapidly in size and population up to 1939.
However, in the years following the end of the war
the climate changed completely
to an authoritarian structure.
Where staff functioned more like guards,
with a roll of custody and surveillance.
Overcrowding meant procedures were neglected.
Patients were said to have been strapped
to their beds in straightjackets
and subjected to practices
including electroshock therapy.
They often didn't have names or possessions,
but rather were just numbers
and correspondence with
the outside world was withheld.
Its closure followed the reform of the law 180
also known as the Basaglia Law,
after its advocate, psychiatrist Franco Basaglia.
This law directed the closing down of all
existing psychiatric hospitals.
Some of its buildings are now apparently for sale.
Although you might think potential buyers
may be deterred by the sinister
events behind its walls.
Local people avoid the asylum
and warn against disturbing its evil spirits.
This now neglected, decaying and creepy edifice
must have witnessed much suffering.
Rusting bars across its windows and doors
convey a sense of incarceration
and are testament to the internment of patients.
Volterra is known as 'The place of no return',
because the people who entered
were thought to never leave.
Some of the walls are engraved with
mysterious tormented scrawls
of a patient locked away.
His name was Oreste Fernando Nannetti
- born 1927 died 1994 -
who spent 14 years from 1958
hand carving his unexplained personal and
and religious thoughts with his belt buckle.
Nannetti found himself interned in Volterra
through both a difficult upbringing
and the draconian measures
employed by the state against anyone
not considered to exhibit 'normal' behavior.
He was born in Rome, never knew his father
was transferred between institutions, and
at the age of 21 was deemed to suffer
from mental illness after insulting authorities
and was relocated by court order to Volterra.
Considered by some to be an artistic marvel,
these runes, symbols and signs
are scratched around the courtyard walls
and comprise strange geometric shapes
as well as drawings of churches and soldiers.
The carvings are 180 metres long and 1.2 metres high
and were created between 1959 and 1972 .
Nannetti, who referred to himself as NOF4 (which
was his initials and institution number),
depicted himself in carvings as an
astral colonel or an astronautic mining engineer.
Some consider his visions to be
ramblings and hallucinations,
while others believe that they are perceptions
of high-tech weaponry, spaceships and alchemy.
He tells stories about cosmic travels,
conquests of imaginary countries
telepathic cosmic connections,
magical powers and fantastic impersonations.
His art may reflect his own fantasy world,
of which he himself is one of the main characters.
Whatever you believe the carvings signify
they have long puzzled historians and psychiatrists.
Whether you believe he had an extrasensory
perception or a gift merely for art
Nannetti's carvings may unfortunately be lost,
if plans to redevelop Volterra are realized.
The meaning behind them is definitely intriguing.
If you have an opinion of their meaning
or know more about the asylum and its carvings
please share it in the comment section below.
I would be pleased to read your views.
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