A Tuscan chapel reborn for art, music, wellness, and peace by Renee Fabbiocchi.
- Mark Walmsley FRSA AGSM
- Jun 6
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 9
Develop your own profile, network, career, and/or business by joining us at The Arts and Culture Network as a full member.
It's just £10 per month. Cancel any time.
Benefits are here. This article is just one of them.
Meet Renée Fabbiocchi who has restored a beautiful chapel in Tuscany.
In the timeless Tuscan hill town of Volterra in Italy, a place steeped in Etruscan mystery and Renaissance beauty, an ancient chapel stands quietly transformed.
Once left to decay, the Sant'Agostino Chapel has been lovingly revived by artist Renée Fabbiocchi. But this isn’t simply a restoration project. It’s a personal pilgrimage, a creative sanctuary, and a living tribute to one woman’s devotion to art, peace, and memory.
From Ruins to Radiance
When Renée Fabbiocchi first laid eyes on the crumbling remains of the chapel, many might have seen only ruin. But she saw a vision, a calling. Guided by the spirit of her late mother, whom she describes as her guardian angel and spiritual guide, Renée recognised the sacred potential of the place. “Even in ruins,” she says, “I saw the result. I saw its soul.”
Renée, a visual artist with deep European roots, had long dreamed of creating a second “centre of peace” to mirror the one she had established in Germany. When her mother passed, Renée made a promise to honour her legacy with a new sacred space, this time in Italy. The Sant'Agostino Chapel became the vessel for that promise.
An Artistic Restoration
The renovation was no small feat. Over two to three years, Renée poured her savings, sweat, and spirit into the restoration, embracing the building’s raw, historical texture. Original chestnut beams still stretch across the ceiling. Cracked porcelain insulators remain in place as sculptural witnesses to time. The stone walls, left rough and bare, speak of decades of silent contemplation.
She didn’t cover over the past, she invited it to speak. Every niche, every imperfection, every historical detail has been preserved and honoured. The floor, by contrast, is modern: a smooth resin surface tinted a luminous blue, inspired by Etruscan frescoes. “It’s perfect for yoga,” she explains. “The blue is not just beautiful, it’s a tribute to this land.”
Though rustic in feel, the chapel now features state-of-the-art amenities: modern plumbing, efficient heating, and even a powerful autoclave system—all seamlessly integrated to ensure comfort without disturbing the spiritual essence of the place.
Watch the inauguration event here:
A Sacred Space for All
While the chapel began as a personal project—an act of healing and artistic fulfilment—Renée now envisions it as a shared sanctuary for artists, musicians, wellness practitioners, and educators. “It’s not for me,” she insists. “It’s for all of us. It’s for the soul of the society.”
She dreams of international retreats, intimate concerts, art workshops, meditation sessions, and educational programs. She’s already made plans to host young children from a local school, introducing them to art and music through her “Stellina” teaching method—an imaginative, soulful philosophy centred on the power of sound and the universe.
Renée’s approach is reverent. “Like in Japan,” she says, “we take off our shoes to enter the chapel. We enter with respect, with stillness.” The chapel, she insists, should remain a metaphysical space—free from commercialisation, free from noise.
Music and Metaphysics
With advice from Mark Walmsley, founder of the Arts and Culture Network, Renée Fabbiocchi has begun exploring ideas for curated retreats and events. Their conversation sparked dreams of candlelit concerts—perhaps with string quartets or piano trios—whose sounds would fill the chapel’s soaring 8-metre-high interior.
The acoustics, enhanced by the ancient stone and bare wood, promise a uniquely intimate experience. “When you enter,” she says, “your wings open. The space lifts you up.”
Renée envisions sound baths, drawing sessions in the nearby fields, and quiet collaboration between artists of all disciplines. “It’s like Bauhaus,” she smiles, referencing the iconic art school. “Let’s collect all the artists again, not just for beauty—but for meaning.”
A Legacy of Love
What makes Sant'Agostino so extraordinary is not just its architectural charm or serene location—it’s the spirit that lives within its walls. Renée’s journey is not merely artistic. It is devotional. It is a daughter keeping a promise. “My mother believed that if I prayed and trusted, I would receive everything I needed. And here I am.”
She refuses to sell the chapel, despite the financial pressure. “It would be against my mother’s wishes,” she says. “I held it for ten years. I restored it. But now I need help to keep it alive.”
That help may come through the very community Renée wishes to serve: artists, musicians, wellness facilitators, and seekers of peace who are looking for a sacred space to create, reflect, and connect.
A Call to the Creative Soul
The Sant'Agostino Chapel is not a venue. It’s a living work of art. A retreat for the spirit. A canvas for collaboration. And Renée is inviting kindred souls from around the world to be part of its next chapter.
She hopes to establish long-term partnerships with individuals and organisations who can use the space and help sustain it. Already, there are discussions of residencies, creative gatherings, and even collaborations with local restaurants and businesses to support retreat experiences.
“Please,” she says, “let’s share this space. We are not one—we are all seven colours of the rainbow. Together we are whole.”
An Invitation
Rising from the ruins like a modern-day Etruscan temple, the Sant'Agostino Chapel is a quiet revolution. It offers what the modern world so often forgets: space to breathe, to reflect, to create. Renée Fabbiocchi has laid the foundation. Now she asks the world to build with her.
To artists, musicians, educators, and cultural dreamers—this is your invitation. Come to Volterra. Step inside. Take off your shoes. Listen.
The chapel is waiting.
Contact Renée at renee.fabbiocchi@gmail.com
Sant'Agostino Chapel Gallery
Would you like to be featured in this way?
This is just one of several benefits of full membership at just £10 per month (€12/$12) and you may cancel any time.
Join us here.
Mark Walmsley FRSA FCIM AGSM
Chief Culture Vulture
Arts & Culture Network
Join us as a full member for "done for you" profile, network, career, and/or business development support for just £10 per month. Cancel any time.
Here are some of our full member testimonials:
"Had to write and say a huge thank you for the networking sessions you are running. Met some great people today, thank you so much."
"Great speed networking session today - I really enjoyed it and got some really relevant and valuable connections!"
"I've just joined!! £10 a month for a 1:1 business growth session, free networking, and access to all the events (on top of everything else!)?! This is INSANE value for money Mark and I'm so grateful for everything you've done to build such a supportive network of likeminded creative professionals."
Mark Walmsley FRSA AGSM
Chief Culture Vulture
Arts & Culture Network
Comments