We started out as a small software development studio. Today, we design and develop digital products in Italy and beyond.
The difference? We do it from Sortino, a small village in the province of Syracuse. Not Rome, not Milan. But a Sicilian village where the sun always shines and the sea is just a few kilometres away. Where you know the people you meet on the street by name and, at the same time, you can collaborate with clients from other places.
Why here?
The decision to set up our business here was strategic, not dictated by convenience. And why not admit it, it was also a little romantic! We wanted to prove that talent and innovation have no geographical boundaries. That areas considered — so to speak — ‘marginal’ can become a competitive advantage, if you know how to play your cards right.
From challenges to opportunities
Infrastructure that needs improvement, distance from major centres, slow bureaucracy, brain drain. These are real challenges that we knew we would have to face.
But every problem can be turned into an opportunity. We took what others see as geographical marginality and turned it into an alternative working model that really works.
Less stress, more focus. Same results, better quality of life.
The numbers we like
Cost of living: 45% lower than in Milan or other large urban centres.
Commuting time: 5 minutes vs 45 minutes.
Distance from the sea and nature reserves: 20 and 8 kilometres.
Sunny days per year: 200+.
When your office window overlooks the Iblei Mountains — instead of an internal courtyard — your perspective changes and you think differently.
When you don't waste two hours a day on the underground, you have more energy to be creative. When you want to organise a team retreat, the sea is just a few kilometres away, instead of having to book somewhere else.
And if that's not enough, just 8 kilometres from home is the Pantalica nature reserve, an oasis of silence and nature where you can recharge your batteries and find inspiration.
The territory as a competitive advantage
Today, you can develop any digital product for a company based in London, Milan or Amsterdam, directly from your office in Sicily. You can manage sprints with teams spread across two time zones. You can make strategic calls while it's 22 degrees outside in January.
You can really benefit from staying put, because today you no longer need to be physically where “things happen”. Things can happen anywhere there is talent, connection and vision. We like to work with people who believe in the value of work, not the value of the workplace. Who see the fusion of tradition and technology as a competitive advantage. Every person who joins our team is proof that the south can attract and retain talent. That you don't necessarily have to leave to grow professionally.
Lessons learnt
Two years ago, there were only four of us. Today, there are eight of us, and we have learned that:
- The quality of work does not depend on the location.
- Customers look at results, not location.
- Personal wellbeing motivates the team.
- A motivated team performs better.
Staying was a choice we do not regret. Not out of nostalgia, but out of strategy; not out of convenience, but out of vision. Because in the end, what matters is not where you are, but where you are going.