The Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute in Bologna preserves in its historical archive a collection containing over four thousand medical records of soldiers wounded during the First World War. 

A heritage of exceptional national value, consisting of radiographic images and documentation relating to young soldiers from all over the country who received cutting-edge medical care and opportunities for functional recovery at the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute during the First World War.

From this heritage was born "L'officina dei corpi", the project dedicated to the “Great War” collection of the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute, funded by the Ministry of Culture and implemented by Rizzoli with the University of Bologna - Department of History, Cultures and Civilizations, the Civic Museum of the Risorgimento of Bologna, the Italian Historical War Museum of Rovereto and the Medical Humanities Center of the University of Bologna.

Thanks to this initiative, the complete reorganization of the archive collection was carried out and an exhibition was held at the Umberto I Library of Rizzoli, open to the public from December 4, 2025 to June 26, 2026.
The exhibition illustrates the evolution of surgical and prosthetic techniques under the guidance of the then director of the Vittorio Putti Institute, the impact of the First World War on the healthcare system, and the daily lives of the soldiers welcomed at Rizzoli between 1915 and 1920.  

The more than four thousand medical records documenting the wounds of trench warfare are accompanied by surgical drawings, x-rays, and medical notes that reveal the human side of the mutilated and reconstructed bodies, the veterans and freed prisoners, as well as those who tried to escape the brutality of the conflict.

The tour also explores re-education and reintegration into civilian life: from 1916, Bologna hosted the Professional Re-education Home for War Mutilated, where hundreds of men learned new skills and built a possible future. 

During the Library's opening hours (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 10:30 a.m. –1:00 p.m.), visitors will be able to view the display cases with original medical records and historic prosthetics.