On that day, the warmth of the late summer sun mixed with the signs of early winter in the alleys of Torre Palme, a small village on a sandstone rock among the Adriatic Sea, hills of wheat, and maquis. Its history starts with the Picenes, continues with the Romans, and embraces the Medieval maritime and farming traditions. The place smells like genista, fig, bay, rosemary, juniper and salt.

Patrizia was waiting for me with coffee and homemade cookies in her Wunderkammer on the corner of via Piave. It is a welcoming place full of memories, where collection design items and objects received as presents or bought in a market live in perfect harmony. A number of rural tradition simulacra: sacred icons, vases, pictures, flowers, plants, embroidered underwear, old and new books. Every single item tells a story, takes you to a different world, and fills you with wonder, as if you were a child again. The place seems to celebrate Italian craftsmanship, imagination and inspiration, all enhanced by Patrizia’s vision – her passion and energy can be found in every detail. Being a guest in this peculiar inn is like living in Patrizia’s house. The rooms are an extension of her private home, and the restaurant is an extension of her kitchen. She makes jam, biscuits and pasta every day. Here, ‘lu focaró’ means the warm embrace of a domestic hearth, the moment you came home to some rest and dinner after a long day spent working outdoors, either in the fields or at sea. Patrizia honours that rite, making each guest a member of her family.

Words Giada Storelli, photographs Marco Criante.