Inside the abandoned Scottish island where time stands still - and its surprising link to Italy dating back to World War Two
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With undisrupted coastal views, clear skies and a beautiful white-washed church, it would be easy to mistake this small island for a piece of Italy.
Lamb Holm, however, is actually part of the Orkney Islands in Scotland - thousands of miles away from the bel paese.
Now completely uninhabited, the remote island has an intriguing history and was used to house prisoners of war (POW) during the Second World War.
Alongside its beautiful beach, Lamb Holm has a more direct link to Italy – many of the POWs brought there were Italian, according to National Churches Trust.
Captured in North Africa, over 1,000 prisoners were taken to Orkney to help build the Churchill Barriers that now serve as causeways for the Orkney Islands.
The Italian prisoners were based on Lamb Holm and put to work in the quarries or construction.
Holm Lamb, part of the Orkney Islands, has an intriguing history linking it back to Italy
Aside from its beautiful coastal views, the island is also home to an Italian chapel
It was built by Italian prisoners of war during World War II and still stands today
During this period, the men were provided with two unused huts to repurpose into a chapel. The Italians got to work at once, transforming the space into the beautiful white building that stands today.
Artist Domenico Chiocchetti was among those captured and taken to the island. Wanting to celebrate Italy's beauty and culture, he painted the Madonna of the Olive Branch above the altar inside the chapel.
The overall construction of the site was a team effort amongst the prisoners, with electricians, cement works and a blacksmith all pooling together to transform the corrugated iron of the huts.
There are two beautiful stained-glass windows of St Francis of Assisi and St Catherine of Sienna.
Indeed, from the front of the building, it is almost impossible to tell the origins of the chapel - it could easily be mistaken for one straight from the Italian countryside.
At the end of the war, the prisoners left the island - but some returned later on to revisit the chapel they had built, according to Daily Record.
A declaration was signed in 1996 between Orkney and Moena, Domenico Chiocchetti's hometown, formally tying the two places together.
And despite being part of the UK, it is considerably more tricky to reach Lamb Home than it is Italy - which is a short two-hour Ryanair hop away from London.
Visitors can either get a ferry from mainland Scotland to Kirkwall and then drive or get a bus to Lamb Holm.
Inside, the chapel was beautifully painted by prisoner and artist Domenio Chiocchetti
Alternatively, it's possible to fly with Loganair from mainland spots such as Aberdeen from £114 each way in October.
The flight takes a swift 55 minutes, followed by a 13-minute drive to Lamb Holm.
It's worth noting for visitors, though, that the island is mostly empty; there isn't all that much to do aside from visit the chapel and enjoy the landscape.
However, just a three-minute walk from the church is a coastal spot called Italian Beach, which boasts a beautiful sandy shore backed by rocks.
Nearby, visitors can find the Orkney Wine Company and a rum and spirit store.
There is also the Oyster Restoration Company which aims to rebuild and restore oyster reefs.
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