Ssshh… I’m playing hide and seek! I am in a magical house in Francavilla Marittima, a small village among the hills that smell of olive trees and salty winds. Here the houses smell of ancient times. My favorite? The stone one, all renovated but with the soul of a fairytale house.

Within a worn stone staircase, each step tells stories of those who climbed it before me. When I get up, I’m in a built-in kitchen that tastes like tomatoes in the sun and wood in the oven. There’s a niche in the wall, closed by a wooden door: I’m sure it’s hiding treasure…maybe ancient letters, maybe forgotten candy, as soon as I walk back I need to check it but now I need to hide…oooh where I go…over there in the living room. Above all exposed beams and a large stone fireplace that looks like the portal to an underground world. From the French window you exit onto a tiny balcony but full of sky. From there I see the roofs with tiles and the profile of the mountains in the distance. Strong breath: smells of resin and adventure.

Then off you go, down the ladder! I go down to the ground floor. The floor is warm and rough terracotta under the bare feet. The walls are made of stone, cold as a river in shadow. Here there is a relaxation room with a second fireplace, lower and more welcoming.

This is sure to be Santa’s favourite, I might hide in there, but there’ll be soot And then… my favourite niche: round, deep, perfect for disappearing but for me it’s small, I’m leaving Poldo here my beloved stuffed animal, so I’ll have an excuse to come back. I open a door, an all orange bath – it looks like a fox’s den! It’s small, no window, but with a singing shower, here I decided, I’ll hide here…and wait. I hear Andrea walking around this living room and not thinking of looking in the bathroom. So, while he goes up the stairs I follow him without being seen, he looks for me in the living room, in the kitchen and in the bathroom and then he goes up again, and I go back.

I take the wooden staircase upstairs. I like it, it’s smooth in contact with my feet, I hope it doesn’t creak and reveal my plan. At the top there is a terrace: I only see roofs, bent antennas and a few cats sleeping in the sun. I feel like I’m flying.

The sleeping area is a marvel: the bathroom has two sinks and a built-in tub, large enough for a paper galleon to navigate! The ceiling is very high, with beams like the ribs of a good dinosaur. The light enters through a large velux, and in the morning it wakes you up with the sun in your face.

There are two rooms: one is small and full of hiding places under the bed and behind the door. The other, the marriage, is huge! It has a balcony with a double exit, and a mezzanine that leads to a kind of secret room: I call it the pirate’s hideout, but the adults say it’s a walk-in closet. There’s another niche in the room, with an old window and door… I like to think that it opens at night and lets out stories.

Three niches, three secret worlds. This house is full of magic, silences, creaks and places to hide. But …Andrea saw me, now stop talking…it’s my turn to count! One… two… three…I’m coming!