What does the Italian term "casa di maternita" mean?

Question:

What does the Italian term "casa di maternita" mean?

We got my Italian mother-in-laws birth certificate today and in place of birth it says "casa di maternita". (She was born in 1933 in Avellino Italy.) We also specifically asked for a birth cert. with father and mother's names but in those spaces there is the notation: N.N. Thank you.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: In the US, the place would have been a home for unwed mothers. It was a home to go to if you weren't going to keep the baby. NN means the names were not registered. She was probably placed with family members whose own names would have been entered in the other registries. I would suggest that if you have the name of the town, contact the local parishes and request the baptismal certificates. They should have far more detail. Civil registrations in the 30s were very skimpy.