Few abandoned buildings are able to arouse wonder for the richness of the furnishings and details. This building, although completely devoid of furnishings, is one of my 20 best buildings visited in my multi-year career as an explorer.

The thing that most surprised me about the frescoes on the ceilings and walls was the hand made of these masterpieces of painting. Rarely in abandoned places have I admired so much skill and realism in style and execution, these even reminded me of some frescoes made by Raphael seen on some ceilings of the Vatican Museums in Rome.

But let’s take a step back.

When I found out about the large building in question, I also had news of imminent restoration work to probably turn the building into a luxury hotel.

So I decided to go there as soon as possible to avoid not being able to access it anymore because of the restoration and not to photograph so much beauty in its phase of decay, which is the characteristic of my works.

It was a Saturday in May 2021 when I decided to set off. When I arrived at noon, I noticed that the palace stands on a kind of high ground. I manage to sneak quite easily through the fence of the park that surrounds the building (less time to figure out how to enter is equivalent to more time to take pictures!).

The only access to the structure seemed to be at the back. A paved road full of wild bushes went up laterally around the building.

Suddenly known laterally and on the back classic building renovation elements: external scaffolding material, container with inside construction equipment and even worse, for my unwanted presence, a pickup truck and a car. And they seemed to be parked recently…

The instant thought is that there were people at work inside, but when, hidden behind some hedges, I didn’t hear any noise inside, I decided to venture inside with great caution and doubts about the integrity of the internal decay.

Was I too late?

By my great luck the interior still maintained a status of neglect. The large frescoed halls on the ceilings made me enthusiastic. In addition, the central main staircase had on the first floor a beautiful colonnade that looked almost like an oracle temple of ancient Greece.

I lost a bit of time exploring the halls but then I started shooting vehemently with my old goal Tamron 15-30.

At some point, however, I hear noises outside the back and I realize that a couple of workers are near the external vehicles. The thought was that before they were on break and now they were back to continue work. Obviously the main thought was to leave as soon as possible.

However, it remained a crucial problem. I was on the first floor (considerably higher than the ground floor) and the only way to reach an alternative side exit to the underground floor was to pass by force from the main staircase leading to the ground floor. The problem was that at the base of the staircase there was both the staircase that led to the basement and a giant door wide open with a few meters in front of the vehicles and workers. I had to get in sight in front of the men.

As it often happens to me, if I keep a cool head and remain extremely quiet in my movements, I manage to get out of several uncomfortable situations. However, there was a risk: I had to seize the right moment to pass in front of that exposed space in front of the door.

The men were always around, I had a better chance now that they were out than they would be if they came in. Then when I saw that one of them was out of sight and the other turned to enter a container, I rushed to the stairs leading to the basement with my gaze fixed on the man from behind.

I did it.

I reached the secluded exit and disappeared outside the structure.

The story could end here, but I had regrets. Some rooms was not photographed and the main one was shot too quickly and not in its entirety. I had to go back. But there were other commitments and the August holidays.

My holidays are photographic holidays dedicated to touring Italy in search of abandoned places, but this building was not on the itinerary, I would have revisited in September.

Unfortunately in my tour it happened that I seriously injured a tendon of the right leg during an exploration in Abruzzo. I had to wear chalk and stand still for many weeks and do rehab.

My concern for this building remained: had they already restored it? At what point were the works?

They took my cast off at the end of September. Around that same time, I bought a new wide-angle lens, slightly more pushed than the previous one.

I could walk vaguely so I decided to have a friend take me to the palace because I couldn’t drive…

I chose in hindsight one Sunday, hoping they weren’t such workaholics!

Right decision, in fact I spent all Sunday shooting in peace.

And catch the right light to take the picture at this beautiful salon. The light condition was clearly more particular than the photos passed.

The warm light filtering through the windows enhanced the atmosphere. And I had my brand new ultra-wide angle lens.

Mythological characters and bucolic figures coexisted in the large fresco above. Among them stands the god Apollo aboard his solar chariot.

The concomitance between the presence of Apollo and the warm filtering light suggested me to give the title “Rise of Apollo” to my work. An allegory that blends in with reality.

I left completely satisfied with all the material that I could photograph, another pearl that I can boast of having in my archive.