The second floor served several purposes: as the driest part of the house, it was used as a sleeping area, but also as a store for grain. Its function as a living space is confirmed by the presence of a latrine situated to the north-west, with an outlet on the façade – a feature that is very rare in this area. The second floor was also used for two other very important purposes: firstly, pigeon breeding, essential for the building’s self-sufficiency, as it could thus rely on meat, eggs and guano (used as fertiliser). Secondly, the defensive function of monitoring the territory, both for the security of La Malavilla and, in all likelihood, for controlling the territory on behalf of the local feudal lord, to whom the owner was undoubtedly economically dependent. Malavilla, in fact, is not a building conceived by a peasant: it is a grand structure, built using selected techniques and materials, which undoubtedly required a patron with considerable financial means. For this reason, too, it was built at a strategic point in the valley: in direct visual contact with Castrignano Castle (visible at that time to the north-east) and with the two passes to Val Baganza and Val Parma, it undoubtedly served as a sort of outpost for controlling the territory. To this end, it is likely that there was an external gallery running along the length of the house, accessible from the windows on the first and second floors. This allowed for the collection of pigeon eggs and provided access to the sacred shrine situated on the façade, a further element of great historical significance. One final detail enriches the second floor and the entire Malavilla: a propitiatory pot, discovered during the restoration work and hidden in one of the corners of the room. It was walled in during the building’s construction as a symbol of good fortune for the house.