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The Italian vocabulary you’ll need if you’re renovating property

If you're planning an Italian renovation project, here's a guide to some of the terms you'll need to be familiar with.

Many people who purchase a house in Italy are drawn to older, neglected properties with the potential to renovate (ristrutturare) or restore (restaurare) – and no wonder.

It’s easy to get fired up about the idea of giving a new lease of life to an abandoned farmhouse (rustico) full of charming period details, or a cute townhouse (terratetto) going for a song – and the country has no shortage of unloved older homes which might otherwise be left to rot.

You might even have bought a ruin (rudere/rovina) and plan to knock it down and start again.

READ ALSO: How to avoid hidden traps when buying an old property in Italy

And while many foreign buyers do achieve their dreams of restoring an old Italian property, these veterans are likely to tell you it’s an experience not for the faint-hearted. After all, there’s nothing like a tangle of Italian bureaucracy to put a dampener on your dreams.

And if you don’t speak Italian – at least, not yet – the process can feel overwhelming. Not only is there new vocabulary to learn, but you’ll be talking about a process that’s likely to be quite different to that in your home country.

To help you get started, here’s a guide to some of the vocabulary you’ll need during the renovation process in Italy.

The planning stages

You may be hoping to fix up the old wooden beams (travi a vista), restore the vaulted ceilings (soffitti a volta) or rebuild the wood-fired oven (forno a legna). You might want to make new additions, perhaps installing a roof terrace (terrazza panoramica) or a pool (piscina).

House under construction

Workers stand on scaffolding as they work on the gable of a house under construction. Photo by Philippe HUGUEN / AFP

You’ll probably need to tackle some less exciting aspects first – from fixing up the roof (rifacimento del tetto) to updating the infissi (fixtures, such as windows and doors) and impianti (systems, such as plumbing and electrics), and hooking up servizi (utilities).

READ ALSO: Nuda proprietà: The Italian property-buying system that can lead to a bargain

If you’re in a rural location, this could mean anything from installing a septic tank (fossa settica) to digging a well (pozzo). And the popularity of photovoltaic systems (impianti fotovoltaici) and underfloor heating (riscaldamento a pavimento) is shooting up in Italy, so that might be on your wish-list too.

Older houses in Italy very often have an awkward internal layout (disposizione interna) – think minuscule bathrooms and kitchens, walk-through bedrooms, or dark and dingy corridors. So you might want to move a wall (spostare un muro), build a new partition (costruire un muro divisorio), or add an extension (aggiungere un ampliamento).

Of course, what’s actually possible will depend on your budget (which is also ‘budget’ in Italian – just with a heavy accent). You’ll need quotes (preventivi) for every part of the project from qualified professionals – and the right paperwork, which we’ll talk about below.

Geometra or engineer?

No doubt you’ve already heard that your project will need a geometra, an engineer, and maybe an architect too. You may not need all three – this depends on the scale and complexity of your project. 

Figuring out who exactly you do need can leave foreigners stumped, as equivalent job titles either don’t exist or look a bit different in their home country.

As every project is unique, you’ll want to ask the advice of a building professional to find out exactly which services you will need. But to give you an idea of the difference, here’s a basic breakdown of what each term refers to:

The geometra or surveyor, is indispensable to most renovation projects, large and small, and finding a good one can save a lot of trouble down the line. As well as providing initial surveys and cost estimates when buying a property or planning a renovation, they may also serve as project manager – and they’ll deal with permits and paperwork at the comune (town hall). 

For this reason it’s important for the geometra to be based in, or regularly work in, the municipality your property is in. Their long-standing relationships with the staff at various bureaucratic offices could make all the difference. 

READ ALSO: Everything you need to know about having a second home in Italy

IngegnereAn engineer can do much the same work as a geometra, but is a more highly-qualified technical professional (with higher fees to match) who would, for example, work with an architect to make sure a design is safe and sound. They may be needed for larger, trickier projects, like a complete rebuild.

Man signing papers

A man is pictured as he signs some papers. Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash

Architetto – An architect, in Italy, is usually only really needed if you’re designing a new building or tackling a more ambitious reconstruction project. This professional will usually deal more with the creative side of a building’s design, usually with technical support from an engineer (though this isn’t always the case).

Many architects also prefer to work with a geometra who can take care of more mundane tasks, like dealing with the comune. This is why, if your project requires an architect, you might need to hire all three.

Many people however choose to draw up their own plans for smaller projects together with their geometra.

Direttore dei lavori – the project manager, keeping on top of the schedule (programma) and budget among other things. An architect, an engineer, or a geometra could all play this role, or you might take it on yourself if you can be on site.

Other professionals needed to work on your project could include the idraulico (plumber), elettricista (electrician), muratore (stoneworker) or falegname (carpenter). 

You might hire them independently, although it’s probably much easier to work with an imprenditore edile (building contractor). Either way, your geometra or engineer will no doubt have some recommendations.

Still, especially if you’re on a budget, you might end up doing a lot of jobs yourself – and you’ll soon be on first-name terms with the staff at your local DIY store (fai-da-te/bricolage) and the rubbish dump (discarica).

Getting paperwork in order

All building work in Italy legally requires some form of planning permission, whether you’re adding a balcony or embarking on a total rebuild. You definitely don’t want to end up with an edificio abusivo (illegal building).

Your ingegnere or geometra will need to submit these applications – and there are fees involved, so make sure these costs are included in any preventivi.

The good news is that your geometra will have plenty of practice in dealing with the paperwork for smaller projects. A denuncia di attività (notice of works) is often enough for anything that won’t alter the exterior of the property – though rules can vary from one part of Italy to another.

For major works though you will require a permesso di costruzione (building permit) and/or concessione edilizia (planning permission). Depending on the scope of your project, an architect or specialist engineer might need to do some careful negotiating with the comune.

Other than that, the two most important things you’ll need when embarking on a renovation or restoration project in Italy are pazienza (patience) and, preferably, un sacco di soldi (a lot of money)!

See more in The Local Italy’s property section.

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PROPERTY

Six things to know about Italy’s one-euro homes

Italy's one-euro home schemes remain popular with foreign buyers - but it's important to familiarise yourself with some basic information before you dive in.

Six things to know about Italy’s one-euro homes

Since Salemi in Sicily became the first Italian town to hit on the idea of selling off abandoned homes for one euro over a decade ago, the trend has spread like wildfire throughout the country.

Such arrangements are mutually beneficial, the idea goes, with small towns saving themselves from depopulation and passing on renovation costs to foreign buyers, who in turn find the Italian holiday or retirement home of their dreams for next to nothing.

But it’s important to be clear-eyed about exactly what you’re getting into when entering into one of these schemes.

1. You (almost certainly) won’t be in a city centre

If you’re looking for some peace and quiet in a remote location, a one-euro home might be just what you’re looking for – but don’t expect to find one in a bustling Italian town or city.

The reason these properties are being sold off for one euro in the first place is because almost all of them are in underpopulated rural villages at risk of becoming ghost towns.

READ ALSO: MAP: Where in Italy can you buy homes for one euro?

One notable exception is the Pugliese city of Taranto, which began selling one-euro homes in 2020. However as the site of a major steel works, Taranto struggles with high levels of pollution, and isn’t most foreign buyers’ dream destination.

One-euro homes tend to be in remote locations. Photo by Luca Pennacchioni on Unsplash

2. They end up costing a lot more than one euro

An entire home for one euro might sound good to be true – and if one euro is all you’re prepared to invest, it almost certainly is.

Most one-euro homes are borderline dilapidated and and require major renovation in order to become habitable again.

READ ALSO: ‘Italy’s one-euro homes cost a lot more than one euro – but can be worth it’

Some town councils require an up front commitment of ten or 20 thousand euros in order to put in an offer. That doesn’t mean it isn’t worth it – after all, a 20,000 euro house is still a lot cheaper than most properties you’d find back home.

If renovating a property from scratch sounds like more hassle than it’s worth, however, you might be better off just buying a cheap Italian home that’s move-in ready.

3. You’ll want to make sure your back’s covered

It’s the stuff of nightmares: you spend your savings renovating a property just to have it snatched away from you at the last moment.

That’s what happened to Maria and Peter Jansen, a retired Dutch couple who spent two years renovating an abandoned farm in Sicily at a cost of 80,000 euros, only for the original owner’s Canadian descendent to turn up at very end waving an ownership deed that proved it was hers.

Of course this kind of nightmare scenario is hardly common, but the Jansens’ experience shows it’s not impossible.

READ ALSO: ‘We bought and renovated a one-euro home in Italy – then had to give it back’

The countryside around Enna, Sicily, where the Jansens bought their dream home. Photo: Maria and Peter Jansen

To protect yourself, it’s advisable to seek out your own independent notaio or notary (not one recommended by the seller’s real estate agency) who can conduct all the proper checks and review the catasto, or land registry documents – as well as taking out the best insurance you can find.

READ ALSO: How to avoid hidden traps when buying an old property in Italy

4. It might take longer than you think to renovate

Once you’ve bought your one-euro home, you’ll want to get started on the renovation as soon as possible – but here’s where you’ll need to cultivate some patience.

A post-pandemic home renovation subsidy scheme introduced by the Italian government in 2020 to kickstart the economy had the unintended consequence of causing major delays with building works, including for people who had committed to renovating their one-euro properties.

Renovating an Italian home might not be as straightforward as you imagine. Photo by Luca Pennacchioni on Unsplash

The scheme, which allowed homeowners to reclaim up to 110 percent of the costs of their property renovation back from the government, proved hugely popular, booking up building contractors months in advance and leading to a shortage of construction materials.

Though the scheme is now winding down and is no longer open to new applications, the backlog is still affecting renovations, and you should be prepared for it to take some time to find a contractor.

5. It could(!) be the answer to your money problems

Buying a one-euro home probably isn’t going to be a money maker: they tend not to be in tourist destinations where you can easily open a B&B or holiday rental, or in locations where most long-term residents want to live.

But if you’re realistic in your expectations, and particularly if you’re looking for a cheap – but not quite one-euro – property, this might just be a way to start a new, low-cost life without rent or mortgage payments.

READ ALSO: My Italian Home: ‘We bought the cheapest house in Piedmont and live mortgage free’

That’s what happened for Lisa Chiodo and her family, who in 2013 relocated from Australia to rural Piedmont and bought the cheapest fixer-upper they could find for 8,000 euros.

With a further 6,000 euros to buy the adjoining property and a modest outlay of 14,000 euros on renovations that they mostly carried out themselves, they now live in the house mortgage-free.

Lisa Chiodo and her family live in the Piedmont Alps. Photo by Max Zed on Unsplash

6. You should expect to hang on to it for a while

You might spend thousands and lavish your time and creative energies on your new home: but that doesn’t mean it’ll be easy to sell on when you’re done, or even that you’ll make a profit doing so.

The supply of remote properties for sale in Italy vastly exceeds the demand from potential buyers, which is why there are so many cheap and one-euro homes available in the first place.

Italians tend to prefer new builds so they don’t have to worry about upkeep, so for the most part you’ll likely be restricted to foreign buyers.

That doesn’t mean a one-euro home isn’t be a good deal if you’re looking for a retirement property, a holiday home or somewhere from which to work remotely: just think of it as a long-term investment in your own enjoyment rather than a financially lucrative investment property.

Thinking of snapping up a bargain Italian property? See more in The Local’s one-euro homes section.

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