Vita left 3 million euros to the Lecce Local Health Authority.

Vita Carrapa was a woman of Sweathers, in Salento, disappeared in 2019 at the age of 95In his will (already drawn up in 2009) he had decided to leave his entire estate to the ASL of Lecce, named universal heir. The total value of the legacy is approximately 3 million euro, between home, savings and securities.

The important thing is that it was not a simple donation "without constraints": Carrapa had expressed a precise wish: he asked that those assets be used to build a health facility in Maglie dedicated to treatment and rehabilitation, to be named after his family ("Carrapa Paolo and sisters

In keeping with the Italian tradition of wasting public money, even when it comes from the generosity of citizens, the project stalled for years amid administrative procedures, discussions, and bureaucratic red tape. Only later did the Local Health Authority finalize the project: instead of a large hospital (a proposal that required much greater resources), it was decided to create a high-tech and robotic rehabilitation facility within the Maglie PTA. Starting in May 2026, this facility will feature advanced programs and technologies: robots for motor rehabilitation, exoskeletons, virtual reality, telerehabilitation, and movement analysis laboratories, designed for patients with motor and neurological disabilities.

Today, the rehabilitation center established by Vita Carrapa appears as a small model of local healthcare, offering a wide range of services and interventions.

The main services, as reported in the ASL projects and official presentations, include:

Neurological and neuropsychological rehabilitation

Recovery after ictus
Routes for Parkinson's disease
Treatment of multiple sclerosis
Rehabilitation for initial dementias and cognitive disorders
Therapies for attention and language disorders

Robotic rehabilitation (advanced technology)

Exoskeletons for gait recovery
End-effector systems for assisted movement
Robot-guided motor pathways for upper and lower limbs

Movement analysis and diagnostics

Laboratories for the study of movement
Electromyography (EMG)
Evaluation of the peripheral nervous system

Speech therapy and neuropsychology

Language recovery
Cognitive and communicative rehabilitation
Training for neuropsychological deficits

Virtual reality and telerehabilitation

Immersive simulations for motor and cognitive exercises
Rehabilitation programs with virtual reality
The ability to follow part of the treatment even remotely (home)

Other specialized therapies

Shock waves for some musculoskeletal pathologies
Ultrasound and clinical evaluations
Spirometry and support for breathing problems
Post-traumatic and orthopedic rehabilitation.

Cover photo from Repubblica Bari

Vita left 3 million euros to the ASL of Lecce, and finally a large rehabilitation center has opened in Maglie