After leaving the village of Rosolini behind us and following the provincial road 48, we dive into the Sicilian countryside where time seems to stand still. We reach a small cluster of houses immersed in total tranquility. Once through the gate, here we are, in the courtyard of the Nespolo house where the Malavoglias lived, the stuffed chairs under the vineyard that runs through the façade, the baskets stacked on one side and the fishing nets to be fixed piled up in a corner of the courtyard. Slowly the space fills up, the children come to play, the courtyard represents the extension of the private dimension within a central space shared by the neighborhood group. Unlike the street, it is still a protected place, where children and young people can play freely under the watchful eye of some neighbors, it is also the place of the “social eye” where everyone is allowed to reveal some of their private life and check others’ often. The women are said to do ‘u curtigghiu’ (the courtyard), that is to say in a low voice what happens, but also what is the result of fantasies. At the time of the Malavoglias, vegetables were grown in the small inner courtyard of the Casa del Nespolo and it was animated to celebrate a good day of fishing, while love and jealousy were born among the inhabitants of the old Trezza. Has this effect caused you to cross the gate? I was kidnapped, this low building with exposed stones seems to have been untouched by the passage of time. The walls that border the gardens and fields are ancient dry stone walls as they were once made. The carob trees, olive trees and other plants on the property seem to be waiting to hear the happy voices of children and wives. The main structure is made to unleash your imagination and create in it what you like and fits your needs. I would use the heights to keep the living area on the ground floor and create the sleeping area in a mezzanine overlooking the rooms below. One of the places that made me fall in love is the small stone building separated from the main building, where I would create a master bedroom with attached bathroom, I would put a large L-shaped window from which to admire the fountain and keep the other access to the garden separate. But is this what this property has aroused in me, and to you?