A Doll Hospital in the historic centre of Naples?! Yes, you read that right! This is not a publicity stunt, but in the heart of the historic centre of Naples you can visit a real doll hospital. Naples surprises, once again, with a unique place of its kind and in continuous activity.
In the very central Spaccanapoli, inside the famous Palazzo Marigliano, there is a real doll hospital. From 1800 to the present day, no fewer than four generations of the Grassi family have dealt with time-worn toys.
Visiting the Doll Hospital in Naples
At the Doll Hospital, the laboratory becomes the “bambolatorio” and for the stuffed animals you go to the vet. The team caring for these toys includes a real head doctor, heir to the Grassi family, and a hospital medical director. Sick toys are taken to the heart wards to be hospitalised. For the cured ones, on the other hand, discharge is arranged. And there is also a real calendar of operations, ordered according to urgency and date of admission. Washing, shaving, stuffing, eye transplants, nose transplants, replacement of real hair. In the transplant department, arms, legs, eyes and different voices have been collected over the years to care for as many toys as possible. This is the place where dolls, teddy bears and many childhood toys, ruined by the wear and tear of time, come back to life and return to their former glory in the happy arms of their beloved companions.
Today, the Dolls’ Hospital is no longer just an old workshop but a real museum open to all. Young and old alike will be amazed by the wonder of this place that seems to have come straight out of a fascinating film.
Restoration of toys at the Doll Hospital
The restoration workshop boasts years of experience that have seen the Grassi family undertake the restoration of more than 40k objects, totalling more than 20 million restorations. Piece by piece, seam by seam, the interventions respect the antique objects, without distorting their authenticity and using the most advanced tools in the field. Conservation-type interventions using materials such as wood, papier-mâché, plaster or wax. It is precisely this attention to detail that has allowed the Doll Hospital to continue to be a point of reference in Italy and worldwide after almost 200 years.
Here you can buy your entrance ticket and consult the opening hours.
