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SILENZIO

Alongside the book · The Village Key

Come inside the village.

The people Elena meets, their kitchens and the places they love. The Sicily around the story, one door at a time.

Safe to explore before you read.

€9 · one key · every door

How it works

One key. Your own account.

Step one

Get your key

A one-time purchase, for €9.

Step two

Your account is ready

Sign in with your email and password, on any device.

Step three

Open the doors

Every door, whenever you like.

No subscription · Yours to keep

Inside the village

Six doors. Six people who remember.

Tap a door to see what waits inside.

Rosalia's Kitchen

Rosalia

Recipes from the novel, and the woman who has fed the village for fifty years.

Tap to look inside →

Behind Rosalia's door

Rosalia's Kitchen

  • Rosalia's card
  • Recipes from her kitchen
  • Her corners of the village
  • A small everyday secret

Opens with the Village Key

Nino Caffè e Vino

Nino

The square, the regulars, and how to order coffee like a Sicilian.

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Behind Nino's door

Nino Caffè e Vino

  • Nino's card
  • How to order coffee like a Sicilian
  • Nino's wine list
  • A small everyday secret

Opens with the Village Key

La Bottega

Salvatore

Tools, an olive grove from tree to oil, and how an old stone house is brought back to life.

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Behind Salvatore's door

La Bottega

  • Salvatore's card
  • The olive grove, from tree to oil
  • How an old house comes back to life
  • A small everyday secret

Opens with the Village Key

Terra e Memoria

Chiara

A ceramics workshop, and what the patterns on Sicilian maiolica mean.

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Behind Chiara's door

Terra e Memoria

  • Chiara's card
  • What maiolica patterns mean
  • Her Taormina
  • A small everyday secret

Opens with the Village Key

Casa di Elena

Elena

The suitcase from Chicago, the house room by room.

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Behind Elena's door

Casa di Elena

  • Elena's card
  • The suitcase from Chicago
  • The house, room by room
  • A small everyday secret

Opens with the Village Key

Caterina's home

Caterina

A Sicilian kitchen in Chicago, and the habits that travelled with her.

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Behind Caterina's door

Caterina's home

  • Caterina's card
  • Her Chicago pantry
  • Recipes she never stopped making
  • A small everyday secret

Opens with the Village Key

Behind every door

What you'll find inside.

The person

Who they are, as Elena first meets them.

Their kitchen

The dishes they cook, written down to cook at home.

Their places

The corners of Sicily that belong to them.

A small secret

Something everyday that only the village knows.

A taste, before you knock

From Rosalia's kitchen.

From Rosalia's kitchen

Pasta alla Norma

Serves four · About one hour

In August, when the aubergines are heavy and shining, this is what I make. Every kitchen in the contrada says theirs is better. Let them talk, and fry the aubergines until they are golden.

You will need

  • 2 aubergines (about 600 g)
  • fine salt
  • olive oil for frying
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 800 g peeled tomatoes
  • a handful of basil
  • a pinch of chilli (optional)
  • 400 g rigatoni or maccheroni
  • 100 g ricotta salata

Method

  1. Cube the aubergines, salt them and leave them for 30 minutes. Pat dry.
  2. Fry in hot olive oil, a handful at a time, until golden. Drain on paper.
  3. Warm 3 tablespoons of oil with the crushed garlic. Add the tomatoes and a pinch of salt and simmer for 20 minutes. Tear in the basil.
  4. Cook the pasta in well-salted water until al dente.
  5. Toss with the sauce and half the aubergine. Top with the rest, plenty of grated ricotta salata and a few basil leaves.

— Silenzio · silenzionovel.com —

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Every door in the village has more like this.

Beyond the doors

The whole island, between the pages.

Not every part of the novel lives behind one person’s door. This is the rest of its Sicily.

  1. Recipes of SicilyA dish from every place on the road, as printable cards.
  2. The placesHow each place feels, its story in a page, and what only locals know.
  3. A map of the novelEvery place in the book, to keep or print.
  4. Travel the roadThe journey as a real itinerary, for readers who want to go.
  5. Sayings of the villageOld Sicilian proverbs, and what they really mean.
  6. Where it beganThe author’s own notes and photographs from the journey that became this novel.

Everything in the village is safe to open before you read.

No clues, no endings. Those stay behind another door.

The Village Key

One key. Every door in the village.

  • Six doors, six people of the village
  • Their kitchens, recipes and places
  • Recipes of Sicily, from every stop on the road
  • The places, a map of the novel and a real itinerary
  • Sayings of the village and the author’s own notes

€9

One-time. No subscription. Yours to keep.

With the e-book: E-book + Village Key, €17

Questions

Before you knock.

What exactly is the Village Key?

A private part of this website: six doors, recipes, places and a map of the novel’s Sicily. Some pieces, like the recipe cards and the map, can be printed.

How do I get in?

Your account is created when you buy. Sign in with your email and password, on any device.

Can I open it before I read the book?

Yes. Nothing in the village gives the story away. The clues stay behind the Olive-Green Door, for readers who have finished.

Do I need the book?

No. The village stands on its own, but it’s richer alongside the novel.

I've forgotten my password.

Choose “Forgot your password?” when you sign in, and we’ll email you a link to set a new one.

When does it open?

On 25 January 2027, together with pre-orders. The novel publishes on 4 April 2027.

Some doors in the village stay closed.

They open only after the last page.

Not ready to knock yet? Walk the Road, free.