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New audio storytelling initiative brings comfort and imagination to children at Rome’s Gemelli University Hospital.
Rocco Forte Hotels today announces the launch of ‘Bedtime Stories’, a professionally produced audio storytelling initiative designed to support the emotional wellbeing of children receiving care at Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS in Rome.
The project brings together internationally recognised voices to narrate a collection of ten timeless tales, offering moments of calm, familiarity and escape to young patients during their hospital stay. The stories will be available in both English and Italian and have been largely recorded in Rome.
Each year, approximately 20,000 children are treated at Gemelli University Hospital. Rooted in the universal ritual of bedtime storytelling, the initiative seeks to recreate a sense of home and routine within a clinical environment, helping to reduce anxiety and emotional stress. The collection draws from Aesop’s most beloved fables, including ‘The Fox and the Grapes’ and ‘The Ant and the Grasshopper’, selected for their simplicity, reassurance and enduring moral messages. Produced in collaboration with Suoni Lab, ‘Bedtime Stories’ features narrators whose voices are already deeply familiar to children through some of the world’s most loved animated films and television series, strengthening emotional connection and comfort.
International Voices
The English-language collection features acclaimed actors who generously contributed their voices to the project, including Winston Duke (Avengers: Infinity War; Avengers: Endgame), Andy Garcia (voice of Eduardo the macaw in Rio 2) and Matthew McConaughey (voice of Buster Moon in Sing and Sing 2).
The Italian-language collection brings together iconic voices behind characters such as Winnie the Pooh, Peppa Pig, Donkey (Shrek), Iago (Aladdin), Kermit the Frog and Mufasa (The Lion King), offering familiarity and reassurance to young listeners.
Supporting Families Beyond the Hospital Room
To mark the launch, Hotel de la Ville, a Rocco Forte Hotel, will be hosting a fundraising dinner in support of ‘La Casa dei Bambini – Trenta Ore per la Vita’, a new family accommodation project being developed within the Gemelli hospital campus. The event has so far raised over €110,000, contributing directly to the creation of a welcoming residential space for families travelling long distances to support children undergoing treatment. The project is in partnership with Trenta Ore per la Vita, Ronald McDonald House Charities Italy and the Toniolo Institute for Advanced Studies, with the shared aim of reducing the social and emotional impact of long-term medical care by ensuring dignity, continuity and proximity for families.