valduce testata 02

The Villa Beretta facility in Costa Masnaga (LC) is a rehabilitation center focused on restoring human functioning following disabilities caused by Central Nervous System (CNS) injuries, such as strokes, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and degenerative diseases.

Human functioning refers to an individual’s ability to act and interact with their surrounding environment, expressing behaviors that define their identity in a way consistent with their health condition.
To achieve this goal, the Villa Beretta Rehabilitation Center adopts an interdisciplinary approach, integrating medicine, biology, neuropsychology, psychology, nutritional science, bioengineering, social sciences, and the humanities.

The center uses cutting-edge technologies such as wearable and non-wearable robotics, virtual and augmented reality, sensor systems, and artificial intelligence algorithms to promote neuroplasticity—the nervous system’s ability to recreate neural circuits that enable the partial or total restoration of lost functionality.

Working in close synergy with the center is the Villa Beretta Rehabilitation Research Innovation Institute (VBRRII), an institute dedicated to research and innovation in rehabilitative medicine.
The goal of this collaboration is to rapidly apply new knowledge and laboratory-tested rehabilitation tools, and to effectively integrate research and innovation with conventional rehabilitation procedures.

Below are the key moments that have shaped the history and memories of Villa Beretta, since its founding as a gift to the congregation.

2023

The Villa Beretta Rehabilitation Research Innovation Institute (VBRRII) is inaugurated. This institute, dedicated to innovation and research in Rehabilitative Medicine, works in close synergy with the Rehabilitation Center.

2000

Marks the beginning of a consolidation phase in the biotech approach, involving numerous collaborations with leading institutions, including the Politecnico di Milano, the National Research Council (CNR), the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa, the BioRobotics Institute in Pisa, and the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), as well as several startups and pharmaceutical companies.

1996

Thanks to the initiative of local entrepreneurs—including Luigi Agrati, Giovanni Battista Limonta, and Eufrasio Anghileri—the Valduce Foundation is established to support research in Rehabilitative Medicine.

1993

The new hospital is inaugurated, a three-story complex built below Villa Beretta and overlooking the surrounding greenery.

1990
March 31

From this period onward, significant technological and engineering advancements are made, enabling the integration of new treatment tools alongside more traditional methods.

1986

Construction begins on the new hospital building, designed by architects Giovanni and Ubaldo Castelli from Como.

1980

Over the following decades, Villa Beretta specializes in disabilities caused by traumatic and vascular injuries, as well as genetic diseases of the nervous system. It is among the very first centers to adopt a revolutionary approach: non-invasive home mechanical ventilation.

1959

Following the polio epidemic, the facility is transformed into a rehabilitation center for individuals affected by the disease. It adopts a holistic approach to care, starting with physical therapies and ending with the patient's social and professional reintegration.

1949

After refurbishing several buildings, Villa Beretta becomes a general hospital, with departments for general surgery, gynecology, and obstetrics.

1946

Thanks to a bequest from the Beretta couple, Villa Beretta is opened in Costa Masnaga (LC).