A village uninhabited for decades, ever since the entire population was relocated en masse to a brand-new town. Three thousand people, the exodus of survivors of the 1968 earthquake that destroyed entire towns in the provinces of Trapani and Agrigento. Today, only façades remain, baroque railings, old majolica tiles, a tangle of houses leaning against the bell tower of the main church, and stairways that look like they were cut out with scissors on a sheet of paper. Before the earthquake, Poggioreale was a delightful baroque village, with noble palaces, the square with the club, the inn, and everything else. The ruins bear witness to a tragedy from 40 years ago: fear, escape, separation. A place that, due to its beauty and the evocative atmosphere it evokes, has been the setting for numerous famous films: it is here that Tornatore filmed some scenes from Malena and The Star Man. An island out of time, with the hands of the clock stopped on the terrible night of January 15, 1968.