In the vibrant and intense landscape of the interior of Agrigento, between the hills of Menfi and the blue Mediterranean Sea, ”Little Captain House” emerges as an architectural narrative of roots and horizons. Designed by Vid’A – Visioni d’Architettura, the house is conceived in close relationship with a pre-existing vineyard, serving as the visual and sensory focal point of the entire project. It is not merely a residence but a device to observe, live, and reinterpret contemporary Sicily through architecture.
The design concept is based on the idea that the vineyard should not be just a backdrop but an immersive and generative element capable of entering the domestic space and shaping its structure, perception, and storytelling. The building consists of two parallelepiped volumes on a single level—one with a sloped roof, the other with a flat roof—conceived as porous, traversable bodies that frame and filter the landscape through openings, views, transparencies, patios, and glazed passages.
The larger volume, recognizable by its 17% inclined gabled roof, houses the living area with kitchen and lounge, conceived as an open, permeable space filled with light and views. The second, more compact volume contains the sleeping area, arranged with bedrooms opening onto a hallway accessible from the veranda: a threshold between interior and landscape that reflects the introverted yet welcoming spirit of the Sicilian rural house.
Connecting the two bodies is an internal patio dominated by a lemon tree—symbol of the Mediterranean home—and a series of blue majolica benches: a gesture evoking the culture of hospitality and the ritual of outdoor living. Here, traditional elements reinterpreted—such as majolica tiles, pergolas, and the texture of local materials—and a sober, contemporary formal language create a measured balance between innovation and belonging.
Little Captain House is not a formal icon but a relational project, where the built environment dialogues with the landscape scale and its productive vocations. Materiality, color, and proportions serve to reinterpret the archetype of the Sicilian house—lightening its details while preserving its narrative and emotional essence. The glazed passage between the two volumes becomes the project’s central device—a transparent threshold linking domestic intimacy with the openness of the rural landscape.
Vid’A – Visioni d’Architettura is a studio active since 2010, based in Menfi, engaged in projects ranging from rural regeneration to the design of wineries and resorts throughout Sicily. The studio develops a language attentive to the territorial context, the use of traditional materials, and a sought-after compositional simplicity, recognized through numerous competitions and publications.
For more info: www.gruppovida.it
CREDITS
Project: *Little Captain House*
Architect: Vid’A – Visioni d’Architettura
Location: Menfi (AG), Italy
Year: 2022
Photography: Lamberto Rubino, Salvatore Gulino
