BAMBOLA – rome’s doll hospital
squatriti is the name of a workshop in rome’s center. officially they restore artistic things, but locals refer to it as “l’ospedale delle bambole”, the doll hospital. judging by these ghastly photographs, a more apt nickname might well be the dolls’ morgue…
the main entrance to the shop is at 29 via di ripetta, but this window is on via del vantaggio, a side street. ask any passer-by, and they’ll tell you this window has not changed as far back as anyone can remember. decades, at least.
don’t worry if these pictures make you cringe: everybody cringes, when they first see these sad, broken toys peering out through years of dust
alessandro ciapanna