The history of Sanremo Hospitals

Before we get to the narrative of today's hospital, we need to talk about its predecessors.

When, with Napoleon, the religious orders were abolished and their property confiscated and acquired by the State, in 1778-79 the church and the old Franciscan convent situated in c.so S. Lazzaro (today c.so Garibaldi) was abandoned by the religious and was requisitioned by the French and Austrian troops, who practically destroyed the premises reserved for them.

Until the beginning of the 19th century the civil hospital of Sanremo was in the Piano district (in'tu Ciàn), in what is now via Corradi and precisely in the building that today houses the Federazione Operaia Sanremese, but this location was no longer considered suitable for the needs of the population.

In 1810 the Hospital was transferred to the building of the former convent, now freed from the occupants, adjacent to the present Church of the Angels, which our elders always called "a Geixa du Cuventu".
This building played a very important part in the history of Sanremo, because it was actually the first real hospital in the city, strongly desired by Margotti, after the Piano Hospital, and implemented thanks to the farsightedness of Napoleon, so it was also called Napoleonic Hospital.
At first, the building that was to house the hospital was in an almost dilapidated condition, and much work was needed to adapt it to its new purpose.
A plaque was affixed to the façade, later destroyed along with part of the masonry, recalling, in Latin, how the place was once used to house friars and now the sick.

The work of adapting, improving and maintaining the structure lasted for many years, and more work was planned around 1880.
During the period of its operation, the hospital had to deal with epidemics of cholera and smallpox and treated, among others, the victims of the wolves, known as deer, which invaded the woods in the area in the early 19th century.
The medical equipment and medicines in use at the time would probably be horrifying today, but the doctors who worked there certainly did their utmost to achieve the best possible results.

Once disused as a hospital, the building was converted into barracks and, reinforced by Napoleon III, became the headquarters of the Bersaglieri Regiment and later the Military District. After World War II, the flower market took over the same area and today there is the Palafiori.

In the 18th century, but also later, Sanremo was struck by numerous cases of epidemics due to cholera, smallpox (see the chapter on Hygiene and Health) and leprosy.
This last one brought, it seems, by sailors coming from the East and spread quickly among the poorest population, had created a high number of unhappy people who took refuge wherever they could and the sight of these lepers, wandering and begging in the streets of the city, were a very unpleasant sight to see.