This Volcanic Stone Shelter in Sicily Reimagines 3,000-Year-Old Homes - Yanko Design

"Along Sicily's Anapo river, more than 4,000 rock-cut tombs puncture limestone cliffs like open mouths, silent witnesses to a civilization that thrived over a millennium before Christ. These tombs at Pantalica tell us exactly where the dead were laid to rest, but offer almost nothing about the homes, the kitchens, the everyday places where life actually happened. Leopold Banchini saw this gap and decided to fill it, not with archaeological certainty but with speculation grounded in place."

"His installation, Asympta, doesn't pretend to know what was. Instead, it imagines what might have been, building a temporary shelter that speaks to the provisional, organic nature of structures that left no trace. Installed first in Ortigia in 2025 and traveling to Pantalica for the 2026 COSMO festival, Asympta is a deliberate act of architectural conjecture. While we have permanent records of death carved into stone, the domestic lives of those who carved them remain largely invisible. The structure acknowledges this absence by embracing impermanence."

"Materials matter here, chosen not for aesthetics alone but for their connection to the geological and cultural heritage of eastern Sicily. Lava stone from Mount Etna forms the roof, its porous grey surface echoing volcanic origins. Local wood, sealed with fire using ancient techniques, creates a framework of charred beams that cast rhythmic shadows. Pietra Pece limestone and sheep wool felt round out the palette, each material rooted in the craft traditions of the region."

Asympta is a temporary architectural installation that speculatively reconstructs the missing domestic world near Pantalica's ancient rock-cut tombs. The work rejects archaeological certainty and embraces impermanence to speak to provisional, organic structures that left no trace. Materials are chosen for regional resonance: Mount Etna lava stone for the roof, locally charred wood for the framework, Pietra Pece limestone, and sheep wool felt. The form uses two arcs referencing Mount Etna and the latomie quarries to create an asymptotic gesture, positioning the shelter as a visual bridge between geological forces and human habitation. The project first appeared in Ortigia (2025) and travels to Pantalica for the 2026 COSMO festival.

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