Gorizia plans museum and park restoration for Franco Basaglia centenary

On the exact centenary of Franco Basaglia's birth, March 11, 2023, the municipality of Gorizia announced a series of interventions to transform the Parco di via Vittorio Veneto, already named after the psychiatrist, into a more livable space with benches, lamps, informational panels, silhouettes, improved greenery, and a children's play area. The restoration of the historic garden behind the central building and the creation of paths on the side bordering Slovenia are also planned. The park is envisioned as a 'true open-air museum' telling a key chapter of local and Italian history, according to regional deputy for Culture Mario Anzil and regional health assessor Riccardo Riccardi. The hope is that the official park setup will eventually lead to the opening of a museum inside the former psychiatric hospital where Basaglia revolutionized the concept of mental illness. The tender for the park restoration is expected to be completed by early 2025, with shared event spaces planned for 2025. Basaglia, founder of the Psichiatria Democratica society and father of Law 180, which mandated the closure of asylums and established public mental health services, made Gorizia and Trieste the epicenter of his campaign against mental hospitals. He died at age 56.