Whether you’re looking for a superattico or a palazzo, you won’t get far if you don’t understand what the real estate ads are telling you. So let’s demystify their language. From floor details to contract terms, I’ve decoded it all for you!

Cracking the Floor Code

  • S1 Seminterrato: The basement flat, usually a more budget-friendly option.
  • S2 Seminterrato: Two floors below ground level. Dark!
  • PT or P0: Ground floor (UK)/first floor (US).
  • Piano Rialzato: A dwelling slightly higher than ground level.
  • P1, P2, etc.: 1st, 2nd floor, etc. (UK)/2nd, 3rd floor, etc. (US). The 1st (2nd)floor is usually considered the least desirable, so is another morebudget-friendly option.

Understanding Contracts:

  • Affitto, 4+4: A rental contract for an initial 4-year period, renewable for 4 years at a time. Keep an eye out for variations like 3+2 (=years) or 18+18 (=months), indicating the initial and renewal periods.
  • ​Contratto transitorio: This is a short-term rental contract with a duration from 30 days to 18 months. It precludes the possibility of registering residency, so is unsuitable for anyone needing the home they are renting to be their registered address.

Heating Systems

  • Riscaldamento Centralizzato:Contrary to what you might think, this doesn’t mean central heating! It indicates a shared boiler for the entire apartment block (condominio). The dates when it can be turned on (and must be turned off) are decided by the municipality (Comune). The condo’s residents decide collectively when the heating is on and off from day to day. Look out for “smart” meters for individual control; otherwise, your share of the bill is decided by the condominium, regardless of your apartment’s temperature.
  • Riscaldamento Autonomo: This means your heating is independent, whether through your own boiler, air conditioning, or another heating system.

Decoding Floor Space

  • Commerciale/Calpestabile:Italian homes are advertised with two figures for floor space. Commerciale is the figure used for rent calculations and includes inner walls. Calpestabile, meaning “walkable,” represents the usable floor space.

Apartment descriptions

  • Monolocale/Bilocale/Trilocale, etc.: Indicates the number of rooms. For example, a monolocale is a studio apartment with a living area, angolo cottura (cooking area) and a separate shower room, while a bilocale will have a bedroom plus a living area. It may or may not have a separate cucina (kitchen). A trilocale typically has two bedrooms plus a livingarea, and will often have a separate kitchen.
  • Disimpegno: A room or area not large enough to have an “official” use. Itcould be part of the hallway or more substantial.
  • Ingresso Indipendente:Describes any home that, while part of an apartment block, has an independent entrance (e.g., through a terrace or garden adjacent to the road).

Understanding Outdoor Spaces

  • Balcone/Balconcino/Terrazzo/Terrazzino/Giardinetto/Giardino/CortileEsterno: Different terms describing outdoor spaces. A balconcino is a tiny balcony – probably not big enough for anything except a few plants. A balcone and a terrazzino can probably hold a couple of chairs and a coffee table. A terrazzois likely to be bigger. A giardinetto (small garden) or giardino (garden) is at ground level. Cortile esterno describes a ground-level outer space that has been tiled over. In all cases, the reported size will give you a better idea of how big it is than the description!

Types of Houses/Apartments

  • Attico: The top floor, often considered the penthouse and usually the most desirable (and expensive) apartment in a building.
  • Superattico:Although this might also be translated as penthouse, don’t be fooled: it’sgenerally much smaller than the apartments below it, making it moreaffordable.
  • Mansarda: A room recovered from the area under a roof. It may be independent or part of another habitation, such as in the case of a loft conversion.
  • Casa Indipendente: A detached house.
  • Casa Bifamiliare: A semi-detached house.
  • Casa Plurifamiliare:Essentially a small apartment block, though each apartment typically has its own private outdoor space.
  • Loft: A large open-plan apartment: could be located on any floor.
  • Rustico/Casale: Types of country dwellings. A rustico may be an older home or one built with a more traditional style, while a casale may look more modern or anonymous.
  • Villa: A term that’s essentially meaningless: it could describe anything from a large country house with extensive gardens and a swimming pool, to a tiny semi-detached town house with nothing but a balcony.

Villette a Schiera: Terrace houses.