Ben Fogle housed in a tool cupboard on latest New Lives In The Wild

The TV presenter visited hermit Father Johannes whose tiny farmhouse in the Italian mountains has a chapel but no guest room.

Watch: Ben Fogle had to sleep in a tool cupboard for New Lives In The Wild

Ben Fogle was given a bed in a tool cupboard while visiting a hermit for New Lives In The Wild.

In the latest episode of his Channel 5 show New Lives In The Wild, which aired on Tuesday, 19 January the TV presenter visited Austrian Catholic priest Father Johannes M. Schwarz, who lives as a hermit in the snowy Italian Alps.

The top floor of Father Johannes's tiny farmhouse has been converted into a chapel; where the priest says Mass at sunrise daily. But with no guest room, Fogle had to squeeze into the only spare space — and get up early so the priest could use his chapel.

The TV presenter visited hermit Father Johannes whose tiny farmhouse in the Italian mountains has a chapel but no guest room.
The TV presenter visited hermit Father Johannes whose tiny farmhouse in the Italian mountains has a chapel but no guest room. (Channel 5)

Arriving in the mountains of Piedmont, Fogle was given a tour of Father Johannes' home, which he renovated himself, installing a shower and toilet on the ground floor. The upper floor he has converted into a chapel, with an alter and his own paintings depicting the life of Christ.

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Fogle admitted: "There's an ingenious use of space throughout this tiny home, but I don't know where I can fit, let alone a chapel." Johannes gave him a tour of the tiny chapel and then showing him a curtain in the corner of the room told him: "This is where I store my things. I have the tools and everything... And this is where I have to store you as a visitor."

Ben Fogle & Father Johannes M. Schwarz - Ben Fogle's New Lives In The Wild. (Channel 5)
Father Johannes M. Schwarz welcomed Ben Fogle as his guest to his home in the Italian Alps. (Channel 5)

Fogle exclaimed: "This is — Oh! You, you really mean this is the toolroom. Wow! I have never stayed in a tool room right next to a chapel in a hermitage on an Italian mountain."

Read more: Ben Fogle

Father Johannes M. Schwarz, Ben Fogle - Ben Fogle's New Lives In The Wild. (Channel 5)
Ben Fogle felt he shared Father Johannes' spiritual experience in travelling long distances alone. (Channel 5)

Johannes found God at the age of 16 and made the decision to become a priest when he was 19. He was ordained at 26. After serving as a Catholic priest in Austria for nearly 10 years — at 35 he requested a sabbatical to pursue a life of solitude as a hermit.

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Before arriving in Italy he embarked on a pilgrimage, walking 14,000 kilometres to Jerusalem and back across 26 countries. Fogle shared with Johannes that his own travels had has a spiritual element to them. He said: "What I find fascinating is that if someone from my world were to walk 14,000 kilometres, they would be called an adventurer. And for me, they are quite spiritual journeys, it isn't just about the physical bravado of climbing a mountain. I actually get quite a lot out of it.

Ben Fogle and Father Johannes M. Schwarz pictured in the wild. (Channel 5)
Ben Fogle and Father Johannes M. Schwarz pictured in the wild. (Channel 5)

"It's also about clearing all that outside noise, presumably it's almost a combination then of hermit life, because you're very alone, it's presumably a very solitary experience. I think I'm beginning to really relate to Johannes in a way that I didn't think I would."

At the end of his stay Fogle felt "enlightened" by the time had spent with the priest.

He said: "I think when I first arrived, I couldn't quite understand how he is benefiting the wider community of the Catholic Church living here alone in a hermitage. I hope that his new bishop will see the benefits that Johannes can bring to the wider world. He was able to enlighten me in this short period here. I've really enjoyed the kind of the slightly deep, philosophical, theological chats that we've had.

Father Johannes M. Schwarz and Ben Fogle pose with the dramatic landscape behind them
Father Johannes M. Schwarz and Ben Fogle pose with the dramatic landscape behind them. (Channel 5)

"I think when I first met him, I distinguished him as part wild man, part priest, but what I've discovered is it's, it's far more interrelated. I think what the Catholic Church needs is more Johannes's. Wild priests."

Ben Fogle's New Lives In The Wild is available to stream on My5.