The materials required for the work were neither readily available nor easily obtained, apart, that is, from cement.  The men scoured the beaches for driftwood and other detritrus.  Some boarded the old blockships in the Flow to claim timber and metal which could be of use, while others made items, such as cigarette lighters, which they could sell to raise extra funds for the purchase of materials.  The chapel was decorated using any suitable materials which they could lay their hands on including empty "bully beef" tins.  Some other materials were donated by local tradesmen and the camp Commandant.

Internally the huts were lined with "pressed cardboard" then coated with water-based paint.  The chapel is approximately 72 feet in length, 16 feet wide and 10 feet high.  The chancel was the first area to be decorated.  It was Chiocchetti's intention to create something similar in style to the churches of Italy with which he was familiar.

Work began first on the east wall, with Chiocchetti's altarpiece of a monumental Madonna and Child.  Frontally facing, with eyes downcast, the half-length Madonna gazes at the Child on Her knee, who offers an olive branch, the symbol of peace.  Chiocchetti's Madonna is based on a tiny copy of a painting by Nicolo Barabina (1832-1891) entitled Madonna of the Olives.  Chiocchetti was given the small photograph by his mother when he left home for the war, and carried it in his pocket.  This altarpiece is the focal point of the chapel, and beneath it stands a concrete altar table.

The chancel is divided from the nave by an ornate choir screen, fashioned in wrought iron.  It was designed by Chiocchetti but made by a fellow-prisoner, Palumbo, a blacksmith by trade, who completed the work in three months.  Palumbo was also responsible for producing the candelabra on the altar.  The altar lamps were fashioned from "bully beef" tins.

On completion of the chancel, the remaining area of the hut looked so shabby in comparison that permission was given to continue the decorative scheme throughout; another hut could be found to house the school.

The walls were decorated throughout in trompe-l'oeil resembling stone and decorative brickwork.  There are fictive vaults, corbel tables, columns and windows.  There are angels in "niches", dado rails, and Gothic rib vaults forming part of the fictive architecture.  The decorative scheme is truly remarkable, given the paucity of materials available.

Towards the end of the War, the men were transported to Yorkshire to await repatriation.  Chiocchetti, however, remained in Orkney to complete his task before joining his compatriots.  After hostilities had ended the camps were dismantled.  When the demolition squad entered the chapel they were so moved by what they saw that they left it intact.  It stood unattended for the next 15 years until a committee was formed in 1958 to care for the chapel and raise funds for its preservation.  Through the committee's efforts the chapel is now in a good state of repair and monthly services are held during the summer.

In July 1996 a special declaration of friendship was signed between the peoples of Orkney and Moena.  At the ceremony Domenico Chiocchetti, at the age of 86, received the freedom of his home town in recognition of a lifetime's devotion to art, the high point of which was his work in the Italian Chapel in Orkney.

In April 1999, I visited the village of Moena, and met Domenico Chiocchetti and his family.  Their hospitality and kindness were memorable, and Domenico, though frail, struck me as a very serene, gentle and contented man, retaining his sense of humour even in poor health.  The chapel meant much to him, and he was delighted that people took an interest in it.  On 7 May, just three weeks after my visit, Domenico Chiocchetti died at home, shortly before his 89^th birthday.

In June 1999, I was back in the Italian Chapel, which was filled to capacity, to attend the memorial service for Domenico Chiocchetti.  His widow, Maria, and their family were also there, having flown over from Italy to be present.

It remains one of the wonders of the Italian Chapel that such beauty developed out of such pain and hardship.  I am grateful to the SCA, and Graham Coe, in particular, for giving me the opportunity to learn its story and to play a small part in preserving the work of Domenico Chiocchetti and his fellow-prisoners for posterity.