Over generations, in the temperate European countrysides surrounding the Mediterranean, families slowly expanded their homes into sprawling compounds, with gallerias of tall doors inviting in the sun and with loggias extending elegant interiors out to piazzas and cortili (Italian for "courtyards").

Those ancient estates provided the inspiration for The Cortile Collection, an enclave of splendid custom-appointed homes inside The Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe, San Diego's premier private golf community.

The Cortile Collection offers architectural detailing uncommon in even the finest custom homes. Extensive stonework, decorative iron, deep-set windows and doors, multiple oversize fireplaces and massive, exposed structural timbers express the homes' timeless character, inside and out.