This is fantastic. An Italian 57 year old former insurance broker literally pursued his dreams, childhood visions of magnificent, utopic temples, by building them in an elaborate underground system in the hillsides of northern Italy. The result is being called the "8th Wonder of the World" by the Italian government. The idea that someone is so dedicated to fulfilling his dreams is heartbreakingly hopeful to me. Makes me a bit ashamed to find it so hard to even articulate my dreams, let alone pursue them.
A house was built on the hillside and Falco moved in with several friends who shared his vision. Using hammers and picks, they began their dig to create the temples of Damanhur - named after the ancient subterranean Egyptian temple meaning City of Light - in August 1978.
As no planning permission had been granted, they decided to share their scheme only with like-minded people.
Volunteers, who flocked from around the world, worked in four-hour shifts for the next 16 years with no formal plans other than Falco's sketches and visions, funding their scheme by setting up small businesses to serve the local community.
By 1991, several of the nine chambers were almost complete with stunning murals, mosaics, statues, secret doors and stained glass windows. But time was running out on the secret.
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