In the sun-drenched province of Syracuse, Sicily, where the land meets the Mediterranean in dramatic cliffs, Milan-baesd practice SOLUM Studio has crafted a residence that is both a sanctuary and a deliberate act of place-making. The Patio House Avola occupies a uniquely challenging, narrow plot stretching like a finger from the access road towards the sea, culminating at a precipitous cliff edge. This constrained site becomes the very generator for a remarkable architectural response – a longitudinal, introverted oasis that strategically unveils its connection to the vast seascape only at its climax.
Far from sprawling freely, the villa fully embraces its buildable limits. Its form is defined by a powerful, continuous sequence of walls. These textured, earth-toned walls are the project’s backbone, rigorously structuring both interior and exterior realms. They carve out five independent bedroom suites and orchestrate the expansive living area facing the sea, ensuring each space possesses its own character and relationship to the outdoors. This orchestration through walls creates a profound sense of enclosure and privacy, a refuge from the outside world.
Central to the private nature of the Patio House Avola are the carefully integrated private patios. Marked by imposing full-height walls, these patios punctuate the design, establishing a distinct rhythm. Each bedroom enjoys exclusive access to its own secluded courtyard. These patios perform a delicate dance: they act as luminous wells, filtering natural light deep into the plan while simultaneously acting as buffers, ensuring the privacy essential within the home’s more intimate quarters. Light and seclusion are masterfully balanced.
Circulation becomes an experiential journey. An uncovered internal pathway serves as the primary distribution spine, weaving independently between the rooms and linking the sleeping zone to the living area. Conceived as a miniature alleyway, this open-air promenade guides inhabitants from the main entrance all the way to the sea view. It unfolds as a sequence of sensory contrasts – compressed passages give way to unexpectedly expanded moments, heightening the anticipation as one progresses towards the light and openness of the coast.
This pathway ultimately delivers residents to the heart of the home: the living area facing the sea. Here, SOLUM Studio unleashes the view. Large sliding windows disappear entirely into the thick walls, dissolving the boundary between inside and out, framing the breathtaking Mediterranean panorama.
Adjacent, the kitchen benefits from its own dedicated light-well patio. Within this courtyard, a staircase ascends to an upper terrace, a vantage point offering panoramic views across the rugged Sicilian landscape and the endless sea beyond. From this elevated perspective, the intricate, labyrinthine play of the floor plan becomes visible – a composition of solids and voids, walls and openings, that dynamically narrow and expand.
Outdoor spaces are conceived not as manicured gardens, but as extensions of the spontaneous local terrain. Two significant terraces made of Noto stone anchor the design. Built dry, respecting ancient Sicilian tradition, these stone platforms define the external living areas and gracefully embrace the pool area, itself clad in textured lava stone, further rooting the house in its volcanic context.
Externally, the Patio House Avola presents a deliberately enigmatic face. Its textured, earth-rendered walls, warm-toned concrete floors, and the initial absence of glazing on the approach elevation create a powerful sense of solidity and mystery. This porous architecture deliberately conceals the rich spatial variety contained within.
Instead, SOLUM Studio achieves its connection through a profound use of materiality – the Noto stone terraces, the rugged lava stone, the earthy plasters – and a formal language directly evoking the simplicity of vernacular architecture. The result is a building intrinsically tied to its Sicilian landscape, emerging from the cliff not as an imposition, but as a timeless element of the place itself: an introverted oasis. Here, the studio crafts a profound dialogue between refuge and prospect, privacy and connection, deeply rooted in Sicily’s spirit.