In the tradition of ‘utopian literature’, the island becomes a bipolar metaphor for elsewhere: a place to reach, where getting lost and finding oneself coexist and intertwine in the same defined space. The concept of island is understood both as a self-sufficient universe, a magic circle that encloses and protects, but at the same time also a place of confinement, a claustrophobic trap. This project is inspired by an Italian island, one of the smallest inhabited, located in a lake in central Italy, with a population of about 10 permanent residents, and a perimeter of just 2 km. This small confined space has been the focus of my photographic research. Historically, the island was already inhabited at the beginning of the XII century, reaching a population of 600 people in 1578. For many years and generations, the community of the island was stable around 200 islanders of fishermen and artisans. From 1950 in on the population starts gradually and inexorably to decrease. Nowadays the traditions of the island are disappearing. During the summer, for a short period the island becomes a little land of passage for the tourists, but for the rest of the year, during the silent season, time seems suspended, the corners and the abandoned buildings seems like flashes of memory of a past life which I was able to discover trough the photographic archives of the islanders or people connected with the island. Within the project, my photographs of the island and its surroundings are in continuous dialogue with the archive images of the islanders, connecting an imaginary place made of metaphors and the reality of a past life. This project is designed in the form of a book. What was really beautiful and important for me is the great interest, enthusiasm and availability that the people of the island expressed during my meetings and interviews with them. I hope to be able to give them back a finished book that speaks simultaneously about me and their memories.