The objective of this paper is to assess and compare two very particular museums, the Museo d’Arte Contemporanea Paolo Pini (Mapp-Paolo Pini contemporary art museum) in Milan and the Museo del Manicomio di San Servolo (San Servolo mental asylum museum in Venice). The Mapp is a contemporary art museum in which the pavilions containing the hospital wards have been used to house works of art. The San Servolo museum, on the other hand, contains a rich collection of records and medical and scientific exhibits which trace the history of the psychiatric hospital. Both these institutions are located inside former psychiatric hospitals and constitute a valid attempt to transform environments and architectures linked to the painful events of a still recent past.
Keywords: Mapp; San Servolo; museum in a mental asylum