The Project
The concrete path
Baglio San Michele is a 16th-century fortified farmhouse in the province of Ragusa, regenerated as a stable intentional community rooted in Sicilian Slow Living. The project develops in progressive phases and welcomes families and young singles in formation.
Operational Design
September 2026 – March/April 2027
Before any building site comes the project. Phase 0 gathers the technical expertise that turns a hypothesis into an executable design: surveys and technical reports by surveyors and architects on the existing baglio, agronomic analysis of the land, permaculture design, the study of energy and water rationalisation, and planning permissions.
This work is what produces the real figures of the project: how many units of each type, which crops the land can sustain, which energy solutions are compatible with a philological restoration. Until Phase 0 is funded and completed, the figures that follow remain indicative.
Restoration of the Historic Farmhouse
The original core of the farmhouse is recovered through a philological restoration that respects the architectural features of the 16th century: stone vaults, tuff walls, and natural local materials.
14 high-quality residential units are created, distributed between the ground floor and first floor, all with access to the common spaces of the Baglio: apartments for families and individual cells for young singles in formation.
45–65 m² • Ideal for couples or singles. Direct access from the courtyard, functional and bright spaces.
70–95 m² • Perfect for families. Possibility of wooden mezzanine and greater flexibility of spaces.
105–120 m² • Prestigious unit with strong historical features and privileged position inside the Baglio.
Cells for young singles in formation
Within the 14 units of Phase 1, sober individual cells are also provided for young singles in formation. Each cell offers essential privacy and access to the large common spaces of the Baglio (kitchen, refectory, laundry, study rooms, gym and sauna). The dual model allows families and young people in formation to live together in the same intentional community under the responsibility of the Chapter of the Savi.
Portion of the East Wing and three rural buildings
Phase 2 completes the organism of the baglio and adds three bodies in Iblean stone on the lands of the farmhouse. It is not a village of twenty lots: it is the reconstruction from scratch of the portion of the East Wing (apartments 16–21, ground floor and first floor) and the realisation of Buildings 1, 2 and 3, sized on the project drawing.
The layout is on the page The place. Until Phase 0 is concluded, the surfaces remain those of the drawing and may be refined by the working project.
House facing the south portal. About 60 m² existing, to be restored; the rest, a collapsed part to be rebuilt.
Restoration in Phase 2. The most contained of the three rural bodies, outside the historic enclosure.
Reconstruction in Phase 2. The largest body, on the lands of the farmhouse, outside the enclosure.
Reconstruction of a portion of the East Wing
On the drawing the eastern portion to be raised is shown as a reconstruction from scratch of apartments 16–21, on both levels. Workshop, laboratories, chapter house and chapel remain facing the courtyard. The reconstruction closes the east front again and takes up the stone, the thick walls and the façades of the existing baglio, without introducing a body of foreign language.
Transition mechanism between Phase 1 and Phase 2
The project is designed to accompany families over the long term. Those who purchase an apartment in the historic Baglio (Phase 1) and, as the family grows, wish to move to one of the rural buildings of Phase 2, can return the residential unit to the Baglio. The recognized value of the apartment will be deducted from the price of the new building, according to the rules defined by the Chapter of the Savi.
How life works in the project
Privacy + sharing
Each family unit has a private residence. Young singles in formation live in individual cells and share the common spaces. This creates a balance between intimacy and community life.
Clear governance
The Chapter of the Savi manages common resources, approves new entries, and ensures compliance with the Internal Regulations with anti-speculative clauses.
Mixed economy
Contributions from members, internal micro-supply chains (vegetable garden, processing, workshops) and permanent training. No “hit-and-run” residences.
Intergenerational support
Children and the elderly are at the center. The project encourages the transmission of rural, artisanal and value-based knowledge between generations.