9 September 1983, in Via Giallonghi, on the outskirts of Castelvetrano, Sicily, the whole Stella family is gathered for the construction of the house: it is the day when the foundations are laid, the children run around, the grandparents look on contentedly, a sandwich, a glass of wine, the ritual is witnessed. Just as in another ritual, when the construction of a new roof is complete, there is the custom of hoisting the Italian flag and proclaiming a jovial family lunch, a scene portrayed by Italian cinema in Ettore Scola's 'C'eravamo tanto amati', with porchetta, cranes and the national anthem. Building is widespread, everyone does his own thing and as he can, the house of property bought or built from scratch is a goal shared by all Italians. Just over ten years earlier, in 1971, Antonio Cederna, a journalist and intellectual who was one of the founders of Italia Nostra, appealed in the pages of the Corriere della Sera for Sicily to become aware of the risks its territory was running when industrial plants, refineries, tourist settlements and allotments were causing indelible imbalances on the coast.

Thanks to Milo Adami for the contribution