In absence of mankind,
the new world is a different one.
Nature is recovering,
but our legacy will be forgotten.
What is life like after people?
On our recent adventure in summer 2020
we wanted to find out!
During a two-week road trip to Italy,
we traveled from North to South
and not only experienced a variety of landscapes,
but also a wide range of abandoned places
from ancient ruins
to defunct power plants forgotten long ago,
as well as ghost towns
where we felt like the last people on earth.
Such structures in disrepair
are full of stories we preserve in our videos.
Join us as we time-travel through Italy's past
and explore history as it was, and as it is today.
Let's unveil a world that otherwise would remain hidden!
If you want to contribute to our videos and support the project,
please consider pledging on Patreon.
Surrounded by peaceful nature and a great mountain panorama,
we kick off our second Italy road trip adventure in the Dolomites
maybe the most stunning part of the Alps.
It was a short night.
It took us a day to get to this remote valley in Northern Italy.
24 hours ago, we were still in Germany,
where we started our 800-kilometer ride
to the first destination of our two-week journey.
For the night we camped on the premises of a health spa building complex
that is crumbling today.
It is in fact the longest day of the year.
But due to these massive mountains,
barely any sunlight is shining on our side of the valley.
And to be honest, this does not feel like summer at all…
The premises appear like an eerie ghost town.
All these houses have been falling apart for decades already.
The largest structure here was used as a hotel
and could accommodate more than one hundred people at once.
It was the main building of the spa.
Besides that, there was also a postal office,
a small guesthouse,
and this chapel.
We would need a day to explore all of it,
but unfortunately, there is not much left to see.
Most buildings are empty and in a very bad condition.
This warning sign says the place is close to collapsing.
Yes, obviously it would be a good idea to stay outside.
The site is located at an altitude of 1.400 meters.
Up here, several natural springs emerge.
They are the reason why the health spa was built.
There is a legend going back centuries
which made this place famous.
It is said that a wounded deer took a bath in this spring
and was completely cured after.
The hunter who had shot the animal three times before
saw what happened and spread the word.
Soon the legend was sung in a poem,
and the healing powers of the spring
were known everywhere.
From then on, sick people came here
to get cured of their diseases.
However, if you are more interested in facts,
we also have the historically proven account of this place.
As early as 1490,
people came here to find healing in the springs,
and in that particular year,
the first bathhouse was built.
In the following centuries the place was expanded,
and more and more guests from the region
and beyond could be accommodated.
Baths and treatments were administered for various ailments,
such as circulatory problems,
rheumatic diseases,
anemia, and chronic constipation.
Like many other spas in South Tyrol,
this place flourished at the turn of the 19th to the 20th century.
We already mentioned the humble church.
It is in a better condition than the other buildings,
and yet, it is almost 400 years old.
Take a look inside
and see that this is a real time capsule!
But unfortunately, it is locked.
That is why we think
somebody must be conserving the building.
In this part of Europe, people are very religious
and take good care of their churches.
These photos are already three years old,
and they were taken by Tobi.
back then the church was accessible
South Tyrol is his home region,
and he has visited this site several times.
If you are interested in more urbex photography
take a look at his Instagram.
You will find the link in the video description.
We are now inside the former guesthouse
that was actually built as a villa a long time ago.
For many centuries, the spa has been a popular place,
and thousands of guests stayed here every year.
But one hundred years ago,
things began to change.
During both world wars, wounded soldiers were brought here,
and the compound was used temporarily
as a military hospital.
By then, more modern spas
and similar institutions
could be found everywhere in the region.
This particular one could not compete anymore.
It was falling into disrepair,
and around 1950
the main building was abandoned.
This guesthouse remained active until the 90s.
But the ravages of time are now taking their toll.
Today, the future of this place is unknown.
The current owner wants to sell this spacious property.
It extends more than 100 hectares.
But whoever is buying it,
probably needs to tear down
all the old and derelict structures first.
They will need to start from scratch.
And that is something
only a well-financed investor could do.
Alright then, enough with the cold!
We did not drive all the way to Italy just to freeze.
Time to get to the sunny part of the valley!
To be honest,
it is a bit sad that we are leaving the Alps already
because it is just such a stunning region!
On the other hand,
and as already mentioned earlier,
we were here just a few months back.
In early 2020,
we shot a series
about abandoned places in the mountains.
So now, it is time to move on
and see what else there is to discover in Italy.
For that, we are heading south
far south.
It is a seven-hour ride from North to Central Italy,
where we set up camp for the night.
When we started our road trip,
we were not sure how the coronavirus would affect the adventure
especially since Italy was hit hard by the pandemic.
As urban explorers
we are not normally in contact with that many people anyway.
But for this trip,
we were targeting particularly remote places.
Like the one for tonight.
We leave the mountains behind us,
passing through Tuscany,
and reach our destination:
A former monastery
located on an island in the middle of a huge lake.
The sunset is a stark contrast
to the sunrise from this morning.
We experienced first light today
somewhere in the cold mountains.
And now, we have a freaking island to ourselves
and a cozy night ahead!
In the next episode,
we will get up shortly after sunrise to explore the ruin.
It is a place where man left long ago,
and nature has already fully recovered.
This is the perfect coronavirus getaway spot.
It is as if we are the last people alive,
and living in paradise!
What do you think
about the first episode of our new Italy adventure?
While we filmed the 13 new episodes
for this series,
we were trying to capture better
and more immersive footage than ever before.
Please let us know what you think about this video style.
Guys, be safe out there, but keep exploring!