Refurbishment and reuse of a farmhouse in Ragusa, Italy

The farmhouses, symbol of the landed property, are at the same time productive and residential settlements with theobjective of controlling and organizing the landed estate. In Sicily, their appearance coincides with the colonizationphenomenon of inland areas for agricultural purposes. These building structures, once at the center of productive,economic and social activity, are very often abandoned and degraded. Their recovery and reuse as tourist structures or forcultural and naturalistic purposes can contribute effectively to the preservation of the traditional rural heritage and theenhancement of the agricultural landscape. This article shows the results of a research aimed at recovering and re-usingrural buildings. The project for the transformation of a farmhouse, chosen as a case study in the Ibleo plateau, in didacticfarm is illustrated.