Check out this article on the "Temples of Damanhur," an amazing underground temple outside of Turin in Northern Italy. The temples are the visionary inspiration of Oberto Airaudi, an Italian insurance broker. Over the last twenty years Oberto has been constructing these opulent and ornate temples deep underground, assisted by other artists and volunteers who share his astonishing vision. And it was all done more or less in secret -- until the Italian government got wind of it. The description alone knocks my socks off:
"...weaving their way underneath the hillside are nine ornate temples, on five levels, whose scale and opulence take the breath away. Constructed like a three-dimensional book, narrating the history of humanity, they are linked by hundreds of metres of richly decorated tunnels and occupy almost 300,000 cubic feet..."
There's even a coffee table book out now with gorgeous photographs of the temples and a guided tour of the place. (via Boing Boing)
Wow, thanks so much for posting this! I can't believe how amazing this temple looks! I'm completely blown away.
Posted by: Chantal | November 26, 2007 at 06:50 PM