The stone, the sea and the wind.

Since immemorial times the hand of man has carved the shores of Sicily. Angular geometries left by Greek quarries by the sea, dry wall stone divisions between rural boundaries, derelict houses, ruins…  A long list of traces left over its scarred surface, an adding of meaning and gestures that summarize the long and complex history of the island.

Our intervention by the Lighthouse contributes to this long standing tradition. Making use of the primitive human gesture over the landscape, the stone wall, we lay directions over the terrain. Framing the horizon, walls are erected casting shades over semi private gardens, conducting the wind from the sea. An architecture of eroded shapes, ambiguous, unobtrusive, made of the vernacular materials: the stone, the sea, the wind.

The lighthouse, defining landmark of this cape, will add to its current duties the aim of communicating the immense value of the surroundings. A learning center will be allocated in its refurbished interior, bearing witness to the rich history, ecology and geology of this coast. Independent access is provided to the lighthouse tower for its operation by the Italian Navy.  

Nineteen rooms are laid to the southern edge of the intervention. A web of paths is woven among the walls and the local vegetation, delivering access from the check in area. This is located in the disused building to the south of the lighthouse, rehabilitated with lobby, reception and services for the hotel. A restaurant is built to the eastern tip of the land, catering both for guests at the hotel and for visitors to the peninsula.