Hospitals can be quite a drag. Sanitized smells, blank walls and ceilings, waiting, anxieties about illness. All in all, most view hospitals as having a quite depressing atmosphere. But not all of them.

For seven years, Italian painter Silvio Irilli has dedicated himself to changing the image of Italian hospitals with his Ospedali Dipinti (Painted Hospitals) project. Over this period, he has managed to radically transform various units of 12 hospitals: from an oculist’s office and reception to children’s, radiology, and cancer units.