At the heart of the Baglio San Michele project, pilot nucleus of the Borgo Ideale, we promote a model of life rooted in Sicilian tradition, Christian faith and family autonomy. Here are 10 concrete choices that resident families will be able to embody every day.
Grow what you eat
A tomato plant or a small family garden is only the beginning. At Baglio San Michele, every family will be able to tend collective and family vegetable gardens, care for the centuries-old olive groves and vineyards according to traditional Sicilian biodynamic methods. Biodynamic farmers and growers (at least 4–6 full-time units in the community) will manage crop rotations and soil regeneration, ensuring food self-sufficiency and passing ancient skills on to new generations.
Keep more than a week’s worth of food reserves
Not out of apocalyptic fears, but to face calmly any delays, bad weather or supply interruptions. At the Baglio this means shared storage, artisanal preserves, oil, cheeses and cured meats from the internal livestock (poultry, goats, pigs, sheep). Short supply chains and food processing (wood-fired bakery, traditional butcher) close the production cycle, making the community resilient.
Learn a craft your grandparents knew
Preserving, working Iblean stone, pruning, mending or making cheese. The project prioritises the involvement of local Ragusan craftspeople and firms for restoration and maintenance. Community workshops will transmit these trades, in harmony with the internal Rules that value reciprocity, identity and Sicilian cultural rootedness.
Cancel one subscription and buy a lasting tool
A work or kitchen tool lasts for generations; a subscription drains resources. At the Baglio, families will invest in tools for agriculture, livestock and crafts (pruning tools, simple processing equipment), supported by the Local Consortium that fosters a circular economy and keeps value within the Ragusa territory.
Teach children to repair, not to replace
Repair is a mindset rooted in Christian responsibility. Children at the Baglio will grow up in the private chapel, the common spaces (library, dining hall, study) and the fields, learning animal care, maintenance of stone structures and rural crafts. This educates them in family stability and the transmission of values of faith, order and self-sufficiency.
Get closer to the source of your food
Know the producer directly. At Baglio San Michele, the livestock (poultry, goats, pigs, sheep with rotational grazing) and integrated gardens allow every family to know exactly where their daily food comes from. This strengthens authentic community bonds, in line with the agricultural and livestock vocation of the surrounding lands.
Build at least one relationship you can rely on
A real person, not a virtual one, who shows up. The Baglio community, governed by the Chapter of the Wise and inspired by the Benedictine Rule and Sicilian rural universitates, promotes mutual aid, reciprocity and cohesion among the 14 selected families (stable households oriented toward Christian values). The chapel and shared spaces foster deep relationships and mutual support.
Spend a weekend without external noise
Without digital distractions. Within the restored historic walls of the Baglio, on the terrace, in the garden and in the quiet of the Iblean countryside, families will rediscover prayer, conversation, reading in the library and contact with nature, nourishing the spirit and family life according to the principles of Sicilian Slow Living.
Invest in something that produces, not that impresses
A few hens or a fruit tree generate lasting value. In the project, family and Consortium resources are directed toward productivity (livestock, gardens, crafts), supporting energy, food and social self-sufficiency, in contrast to consumerist models.
Ask yourself what you are really working for
If it is not for the family, for time devoted to faith, for the education of children and for the future of the community, redesign your goals. At Baglio San Michele, the choice of stable residence in high-quality semi-finished apartments (inside the historic baglio and annexes) answers this calling: a rooted nest where daily life integrates work, prayer (ora et labora), architectural beauty and autonomy, far from urban precariousness.
These choices may appear “unconventional” from the outside. But the real folly is to depend entirely on a single job, a fragile system and distant supply chains. At Baglio San Michele these practices are not optional: they are the very fabric of the community.