In December, I returned to Italy and revisited several Carlo Scarpa projects in Venice after five years. In the bookshop of Fondazione Stampalia Querini , I discovered an unknown copper-green church nestled amid the Dolomites and forests. Intrigued, I noted its name and learned it was a three-hour drive from Venice, so I promptly altered my itinerary.

After a motorway journey to Belluno, I navigated rugged mountain roads. As the altitude rose, ambient sounds faded, leaving only the sound of my heartbeat amid snow and mist. An hour’s climb brought me to a village established in the 1950s as an employee holiday resort by the Italian state energy company, ENI. The church, designed by Edoardo Gellner with Scarpa from the Venice School of Architecture, shows only subtle hints of Scarpa’s signature style.

Unfortunately, the church is closed in winter, open only from April to September. While photographing, I met a local architecture enthusiast who shared my admiration for Scarpa and complained about the irregular opening hours. Despite the biting cold, I spent several hours capturing its snowy splendour and ended up catching a chill that lasted until New Year.