Maria Bertolani Del Rio was a doctor, psychiatrist, educator, historian, benefactor, and researcher who authored 149 publications.
Born in Reggio Emilia into a highly educated and open-minded family, Maria Del Rio was the first female doctor employed by the Psychiatric Institute San Lazzaro in Reggio Emilia. It is there that she met the psychiatrist Aldo Bertolani, who became her husband. In 1921 she was put in charge of the A. Marro Colony School for mentally impaired boys deemed capable of rehabilitation. The prevailing cure at the time was ergotherapy, combined with craft activities. In order to supplement the educational activity and help reinsert the boys into the community, Bertolani Del Rio wanted to develop their artistic craftsmanship by evoking the most famous historical period
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Citation: Caroli, Giovanna. "Maria Bertolani Del Rio". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 October 2019 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14442, accessed 03 December 2024.]