Photographer Thomas Windisch Explores The Abandoned Mental Asylums Across Italy

1

These images of abandoned hospitals across Italy are not for the faint-hearted. Both of the hospitals featured in the photographs are Italian asylums – known as manicomios – that were used as mental hospitals. Shut down by law in 1978, the derelict buildings are visibly overgrown and make for very eerie portraits. Photographer Thomas Windisch, 32, of Graz, Austria, said the asylums, located in top-secret spots, can get very creepy when there aren’t many people there with him. Here: a ray of light beams down on a decaying theatre in an abandoned hospital.

More info: Thomas Windisch, Instagram, Facebook

2
Old TBC reports.

3
An office in an abandoned hospital. Old files litter the floor.

4
A living quaters in the asylums kitchen block.

5
An asylums entrance hall.

6
An old treatment room.

7
A hallway within an abandoned hospital.

8
An angled view of a winding staircase.

9
An old operating room left to decay.

10
A dolls pram creepily sits underneath some graffiti.

11
A hallway of an abandoned hospital.

12
Looking like something from a horror movie, this freakish opearting chair sits in the bowels of an abandoned hospital.

13
A pair of shoes on a dirty window ledge.

14
A decrepit shower room.

15
Bottles of chemicals and syringes in a shadowy room.

16
Four leather waiting chairs. (Photo by Thomas Windisch/Caters News)

17
An operating bed lies in the shadows as x-rays litter the window.

18
Old surgical equipment.

If you want more awesome content, subscribe to Design You Trust Facebook page.

More Inspiring Stories

Spectacular Winning Images from The Budapest International Foto Awards 2021

Photographer Jakub Wencek Explores The Forests Of Poland To Capture Fantastic Photos Of The Dark Side Of Nature

Winners Showcasing Funny Animal Antics from the 2024 Nature’s Best Photography Awards

"Distorted Japan": Buddhism And Computer Games Collide In Kenta Cobayashi’s Digitally Manipulated Photography

New York City In 1980s Through Photographs By Janet Delany

Before Smartphones And Computers Kids Had Real Fun

Photographer Tim Flach Spent Two Years Photographing Animals That May Soon Be Extinct

Transforming Landscapes into Art: Jadikan's Stunning Long Exposure Photos of Aerial Firework

Cool Snaps Show What Badass Girls Looked Like In The 1940s

42 Wonderful Behind The Scene Photos From Classic Movies

These Autochrome Photos From The 1920s And '30s Resulted An A Painting-Like Quality That Not Even Today's Best Instagram Filters Can Replicate

Beautiful Kodachrome Photos of Life in New York in the Late 1960s

Breathtaking Award-Winning Macro Photos from the 2025 British Photography Awards

"The Horsemen Of Semonkong": Portrait Photography By Thom Pierce

Reflected Images Of Tree Bark Reveal The Faces Hiding In The Forest

Hilarious Winning Photos from the 2025 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Mock Rock: When Actors Play Pop Stars

Cyberpunk Is Closer Than You Think: CD Projekt RED Announces The Winners Of Its Photo Competition

Above It All: The Aerial Tour Of California With Photographer Woody Woodworth

Winners of the Dronestagram Contest 2014

In the Swim

The Finalists of The 2021 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards Have Been Announced

This Set Of Pictures Were Provided By The Dupont Circle Hotel In Washington DC And Dramatically Brought To Life After Colourisation

Ballantine’s Presents Benjamin Von Wong’s Underwater River

Stunning Plus Size Models at New York Fashion Week

Spectacular Winning Images of The Sony World Photography Award 2022

Daily Life of a Gamer's Girlfriend

Mammal Photographer Of The Year 2020 Contest Gives Top Prize To Urban Fox Photo

Spectacular Nature-Winning Photos From The GDT Photographer Of The Year 2024

Photographer Captures Stunning Photographs that Evoke Haunting Cinematic Atmosphere