The nearby village of Gombereto has three little churches (or chiesine) in it religious purlieus: San Giuseppe, standing outside the southern entrance to the village, Santa Maria dei Dolori, at the northern end, and Refubbri, the chiesina della Visitazione, which sadly stands (just) in total neglect, roofless and prey to ivy and the weather. The chiesina or oratory of the Visitation of The Virgin Mary to Saint Elizabeth, is mentioned in a famous poem by Robert Browning, who visited this area with his wife (For more information and photographs on this sad situation do visit my special web site at http://refubbri.tripod.com/engstart.htm).

As I returned from shopping yesterday I stopped to look at the melancholic chapel. Even in winter it was almost totally covered by foliage. The roof has long since collapsed but the inner arch supporting it was still intact, for how long goodness knows.

The little bridge connecting it to the road was still seemingly solid but, again, I wondered for how long – the Refubbri stream had become a raging torrent and I wasn’t quite sure if the bridge was safe to cross.

There was talk at one time of restoring the chapel at Refubbri and using it for non RC Christian celebrations but, to date, nothing has come of this. It might have also made a mountain rifugio or shelter for trekking in the area.

However, I noted that around the chapel council forestry workers were cutting down dangerous and obstructive trees and clearing out the stream bed.

I asked if they were going to clear the chapel of its encroaching vegetation but they said they had no orders to do so.

While there are many worthy causes to donate money to and many more distinguished buildings needing help I remain dejected at the thought that, for the thirteen-plus years that I have lived here, the little woodland chapel of Refubbri has no-one to love it and help it live again in some form whether that be even a hiker’s shelter from the rain. Who knows whether it will still be standing in ten years’ time? At least nature will destroy it rather than the mindless vandalism that has demolished so many abandoned buildings in London.