St. Anne’s Chapel, Torre del Lago

Architect: Paolo Galantini
Text: György Szegő
Photos: Paolo Del Freo

Galantini Studio renovated a timber structure chapel built in the 1970s in Northwest Italy, up in the mountains above Lake Garda to suit it as a venue for summer masses, music programmes and theatre performances for both the building and its neighbourhood. St. Anne’s Chapel was originally built in 1973 on the periphery of a village, Torre del Lago. It was out of use from 2010 on as certain parts of the edifice deteriorated and were life-threatening. In the summer of 2013 Studio Galantini took on the task of restoring the chapel. Almost half of the building has been restored, the timber of the three triangular frames were replaced by new ones, including the structural joints and several supporting beams. The old metal coupling components have also been reconstructed. Overgrown by moss, the original roof shell was, however, rebuilt to function as a surface preserving the organic relations with the surrounding flora also expressing the genuine age of the building.