Orkney's Italian Chapel - The True Story of an Icon

The story of Orkney's Italian chapel is one of the most inspiring of the Second World War. When 1,200 Italian prisoners of war, captured during the North African campaign, arrived in Orkney off the north coast of mainland Scotland, they were put to work building great barriers between the islands to protect Allied warships. Some said it was an impossible task, but from this adversity emerged the iconic Italian chapel on the tiny island of Lamb Holm, which was to become a symbol of hope for future generations.

In Orkney's Italian Chapel: The True Story of an Icon Philip Paris now tells the full story of the extraordinary events surrounding the chapel's creation, and reveals secrets that have remained hidden since 1944. It is the story of the men who built the chapel, including master painter Domenica Chiocchetti, and how their vision to create a small oasis of peace in a war-torn world forged a bond between the Italians and their British counterparts that would stand the test of time.

The incredible legacy they left - a masterpiece in plasterboard and scrap metal - is not only a symbol of hope around the world, but a lasting reminder of the true strength of the human spirit.

Buy Philip Paris' fiction book 'The Italian Chapel' here.