Previously on Broken Window Theory:
In summer 2018, we set out on our wildest urbex adventure so far.
For ten days straight, we were exploring impressive abandonments all over Northern Italy.
On that road trip we were accompanied by our local guide tobi_urbex
and the two filmmakers Bryan and Michael from The Proper People.
Together we were searching for the most beautiful natural decay
and the most amazing stories hidden behind forgotten walls.
In order to do that we were sneaking inside scary old asylums,
photographed remarkable derelict churches and found the most extraordinary Italian manors you can imagine.
But that was only the beginning.
Welcome to part two of our urbex video series “Abandoned Italy”!
It’s day six of our Italy road trip.
Tobi, who had already explored most of the places on our bucket list,
is showing us the way inside today’s abandoned site.
This time we’re exploring this massive structure.
It’s located in the hilly landscape of northwest Italy
and this high-lying college is dominating the whole vicinity.
It was already visible from far away.
Luckily, we are bringing much time.
You can see how many stories this building complex has and there’s so much to discover.
So, let’s get in there now!
We’re entering the huge boarding school via the old sports hall.
It isn’t a problem to get inside here because one side is missing a complete wall –
which actually must have been pretty cool back then when the facility was still active.
Just look at that amazing view.
But imagine having gym class here in the winter…
We were really surprised about the bad condition of this building.
On the pictures we have seen before the whole place looked much more pristine.
But we guess those images were outdated and by now the local youth has destroyed large parts of the college.
This is actually one of the most vandalized places we have explored on our Italy adventure.
Although this is a proper concrete structure, so we don’t have to be worried about rotten floors or something similar.
This boarding school was constructed in the 1960s.
But only around 20 years later the facility was already shut down.
In the past, 200 students could live here at the same time.
We aren't sure, but we guess this was a college for boys only.
Next to dorm rooms for the kids and their classrooms we also discovered an auditorium,
multiple chapels, offices and rooms for the educators, a hospital ward and much more.
All the interesting parts of the place will be shown in this video.
The dimensions of the structure are just overwhelming.
Imaging to grow up here as a child.
It's a large compound and you would have unlimited possibilities for playing hide and seek -
but always under the strict supervision of the nuns who call to prayer every morning.
We are wondering how old the children from back then must be today
and what they would think if they were to visit the place where they grew up.
Oh boy, you're so white!
Take a look at the accommodations for the pupils and you immediately realize there wasn't such a thing as privacy here.
In every dorm room there are plenty of beds.
This is where the kids spent their nights.
However, during the day they probably spent most of their time in the classes.
As it seems, this was a religious school with a special focus on art.
Especially music was taught here apparently.
In several classrooms we are discovering old music books.
Urban explorers are calling this abandoned place "Dark School of Music".
What an ominous name, right?
However, this class is the most popular photo motive of the derelict college and the room is just super dark.
Hence the name.
Unfortunately, vandals have already been tearing apart the classroom.
This is how it used to look twelve months before our exploration.
These shots were all taken by our friend tobi_urbex.
He is the latest member of the BWT crew.
If you like his stills you should take a look on his Instagram account.
You will find the link to that in the video description.
Down there you will also find the link to the YouTube channel of The Proper People.
They released their video about this place already quite some time ago.
You should watch their episode as well!
This is our personal highlight of the old college the big chapel.
There's relatively little vandalism here.
Apparently, even the brutes are in awe of the Lord's house.
As a matter of fact, we also found an old postcard which shows the chapel in mint condition.
But in the past few years after closing the facility a lot has changed.
However, we think that all those benches here aren't the same as the ones on the photo.
Our guess is that all those original benches were removed after the place was abandoned.
Later, urban explorers arrived.
In order to shoot a decent picture of this room
they were carrying benches from one of the smaller chapels in here - just to stage this shot.
You think carrying heavy benches through the whole building complex just for one photo sounds made up?
Well, urbex photographers did much more crazy things in the past.
Earlier we told you that there's also an auditorium.
Here we are now.
In the past, there were probably enough seats for all those 200 students and even more people.
But for three decades the former boarding school is lying in ruins now.
It remains a mystery to us why the place was shut down only 20 years after its big inauguration.
It was a Roman Catholic institution that was running the facility.
Maybe they simply didn't have enough funds to keep such a large and remote site in good condition.
And so this concrete block will decay further
and probably soon released for demolition.
How did you like the place?
This was definitely an exploration we were looking forward to for quite some time.
I would like to take the opportunity to wish all of you a good start to the new year.
2018 was an incredible urbex year for us –
thanks to you and all the immense support you gave us.
We’ve been using Patreon for over one year now I think
and on that page we have collected quite some followers who help us raise funds for our project BWT.
However, it was time for a relaunch.
We have developed an ongoing reward system and come up with some cool new bonuses for you guys.
After you have watched this episode, you should definitely take a look on our new page on Patreon.
You can find the link to that in the video description or the end screen of the video.
Only one dollar per month is already enough to support our cause.
And even for that small amount you will get cool rewards.
Thanks again for your support guys and see you next time.
Next time on Broken Window Theory:
Yet another place of horror we found on our road trip in summer.
Like many of the asylums in Italy, Manicomio di V has a terrible history when it comes to the treatment of patients.
Mentally ill people were imprisoned, hidden away from society and even tortured.
And as it seems even children were doomed to spend their entire life in this sinister madhouse.
As you saw the Dark School of Music is rich in variety.
What was your favorite part of the exploration?
Tell us your opinion in the comment section down below.
And don’t forget to take a look on our relaunched Patreon page.
We would be really happy about your support!
Keep exploring, guys.