The Forensic Psychiatric Hospital of Montelupo Fiorentino

The chapter opens with an account of the history of the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital of Montelupo Fiorentino, the second to be opened in Italy. An imposing square edifice with square towers on the corners, it was originally the summer residence of Ferdinando I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany but after various vicissitudes it became a criminal asylum in 1886. Although much of the documentation regarding the hospital has been damaged, it has been possible to recover interesting data which is reported here. The chapter includes interviews with the director of the time and his colleagues. The second part of the chapter is dedicated to the accounts of the inmates: Dario and his goal of a rehabilitation program; Lapo and drug abuse; Arthur, the artist from the United States; Marco, from the Bronx to the maelstrom of the drugs; Imir, who killed his wife; Felipe and his problems with alcohol. The author has added his reflections regarding the cases of Dario, Lapo and Arthur.