You're Up Next Time by Broken Window Theory, on FlickrFrom afar we could already see those two massive cooling towers - which aren’t our destination anyway. Those are part of a thermal power plant which isn’t active anymore indeed, but we were not in the mood for an intense infiltration action that day. But in the shadow of the tremendous powerhouse one of the many ghost towns of Italy is located. Already at the entrance to the village a nice surveillance cam was greeting us. Actually, there is CCTV on the whole compound. We believe that all those cameras are either connected to the power station next door or that they are supposed to scare away vandals. However, we were not afraid of them and so we were starting the exploration of this eerie ghost town.
Access Forbidden by Broken Window Theory, on FlickrIt’s a whole village that was simply abandoned by its residents. This place has a moving history and once, it was even in possession of famous Napoleon Bonaparte. Later it was owned by an important Italian statesman who also had his country house here. But today everything lies in ruins. An apocalyptic atmosphere unfolds here which intensifies because of the intimidating cooling towers nearby. Already for decades people haven’t been living here anymore. And by now nature has reclaimed the area.
Paese Senza Seperanza #13 by Broken Window Theory, on FlickrAlso the history of this village goes all the way back to the Middle Ages. Already one thousand years ago rice was cultivated here. The land was really fertile and that’s why many farmers settled here. What started as a monastery became a huge farm. And many years later it was transformed into a whole village.
Paese Senza Seperanza #16 by Broken Window Theory, on FlickrAfter the land changed hands several times, more and more people were leaving the settlement in the 20th century. Reasons were especially all the modern cultivation methods. Less and less workforces were needed here for growing. And on the other hand, environmental pollution was also a big reason why farmers weren’t able to gain any profits from the agriculture anymore. Until the 1960s all the residents moved away and decay started. Today most of the buildings are ruins marked by vandalism. But one structure was spared for the longest time.
Paese Senza Seperanza #09 by Broken Window Theory, on FlickrSince a very short time ago the church of the village is accessible and that’s also the reason why we came here in the first place. Two years ago, this building was broken into for the first time. After that the house of god was sealed and cameras were installed. Now it’s open again. But probably not for long. So, we wanted to use that time frame because something like this is completely new to us: An abandoned old church in such a remarkable condition.
Paese Senza Seperanza #01 by Broken Window Theory, on FlickrIt was built in the style of the baroque and inside the whole house of God there are beautiful details which have luckily been spared by vandalism so far. You could almost think that this place is still in use. But apparently, only a very short time ago books were burned here. There are occult rituals inside abandoned churches all the time, so maybe this was also the case here. We also found a junction box inside the church and it was still active. It seems like the cameras and even an alarm are connected to this. However, maybe someone turned both off because we didn't have any problems exploring the site.
Call On God by Broken Window Theory, on FlickrThere is no hope to rescue neither the whole village nor this single church. Although it was partly inhabited by some employees of the power station somewhere in the 80s, the resettlement didn’t last for long. The village is just too remote and the local authority sees no purpose in setting up a plan for revivification. But with its thousand-year-old history this place is a part of the region’s cultural heritage. But unfortunately, there’s no way to gain profit out of this. So this site will go to rack one day and sink into oblivion.
Ghost Town by Broken Window Theory, on FlickrIf you want to see more of this ghost town just take a look in our video (the exploration of this spot starts at 6:02):
