UMBERT MONROE'S HOUSE could be described as extravagant, but only from a traditional perspective. It had no foundations, no terrace, and no roof. It was a residence based on practicality: the home of an individual seeking the ancestral roots of primitive housing, without renouncing the quality of life offered by modern technology.
Alissa's uncle, after abandoning architecture—his career had long since ended—decided to distance himself from the hustle and bustle of New York and purchased some land near Santomera, knowing that the property contained an underground area divided into enormous, interconnecting rooms.
He went to see the place, felt a strong impact, and was deeply impressed. It was like a stone palace, with spacious rooms and labyrinthine corridors, rising and falling from one level to another, like modern duplex apartments. On a hill marked by erosion, there was a hole a few meters wide, connecting with the roof of the cave. Light entered through it, illuminating a central space that served as both a courtyard and a garden.
Umbert simply had to design the project and contract the work with a trusted builder. A gigantic façade was erected, twenty-seven meters long by ten meters high, with a dozen windows and balconies overlooking the exterior, where the land was leveled to make way for one of the most lush forests in Murcia's greenery.
As soon as construction was completed on his new home, built in the cave according to the tradition of some Levantine peoples, it boasted eleven bedrooms ranging in size from twenty to thirty square meters, a huge living room, a dream kitchen, three bathrooms, and an octagonal interior courtyard adorned with a small fountain in the center.
The installation of a transparent methacrylate dome prevented rain from entering through the opening in the roof. In total, it was a registered property with over six hundred square meters of living space, with a one-hectare garden.