Rome's Policlinico Umberto I teaching hospital has agreed with the regional park authority RomaNatura to offer patients a virtual visit to the sea. The project, called 'Immersione nel Benessere' (Immersion in Wellbeing), uses VR headsets and 360-degree footage of the Secche di Tor Paterno, a marine protected area managed by RomaNatura, to take patients symbolically out of the hospital room for a few minutes. The memorandum of understanding behind it was presented on 29 September 2026, and the sources describe the deployment as planned rather than already running.
It is aimed in particular at patients of the Oncology Day Hospital and of Paediatrics. Hospital director general Fabrizio d'Alba links it to the hospital's work on humanising care, and RomaNatura describes it as a pilot that could also be carried out in other healthcare facilities.
What is planned
- Up to 10 VR headsets, with immersive audio headphones.
- 360-degree video content dedicated to the Secche di Tor Paterno.
- Supervised use, with the devices sanitised after each session.
- RomaNatura biologists to accompany patients in discovering the protected area.
Use in the wards
In the Oncology Day Hospital, the immersive experience may accompany patients during infusions, therapeutic waiting time and psychological support. In Paediatrics, the headsets may be used during short stays, waiting periods, stressful procedures and educational or play activities. For children, the virtual experience is to be paired with environmental education and play-based learning led by expert staff and an environmental animator.
Aims
The memorandum lists reducing stress and anxiety among its aims, along with testing a model that could be repeated in other hospital wards. These are stated goals; the sources report no measured results yet.
