Le case

Houses / Homes

Where do people in Italy live?

They live in apartments in historic downtowns or in recently built apartment buildings in newer parts of town. Apartments often have at least one balcony, and old apartments are sometimes beautifully renovated. More than 53% of the people living in Italy live in an apartment.

  • il centro storico [historic downtown]
  • l’appartamento [apartment]
  • ristrutturato [renovated]
They live in single-family homes and in row homes in residential areas.

  • la villetta, la casa familiare [single-family home]
  • la villetta a schiera [row home; townhouse]
  • la zona residenziale [the closest thing to an American suburb]
They live in apartments in housing projects located on the outskirts of cities or big towns. These buildings have been constructed in the last seventy years to accommodate a growing urban population.

  • i palazzi popolari [housing projects]
  • la periferia [the outskits of a city or big town]
They live in country homes and in old farm houses sometimes beautifully renovated.

  • la casa di campagna [country house]
  • il casolare, la cascina [farm house]

 

Homes may have:

  • un balcone [balcony]
  • una terrazza / un terrazzo [terrace; patio]
  • un giardino [flower garden]
  • un orto [vegetable garden]
  • un garage

Le stanze [rooms]:

LA CUCINA

  • il frigorifero, il frigo [refrigerator, fridge]
  • il forno [oven]
  • i fornelli [stove]
  • il lavandino [sink]
  • la lavastoviglie [dishwasher]
  • il tavolo con le sedie [table with chairs]
  • In bigger homes or apartments: la sala da pranzo [dining room]

IL BAGNO

  • il water [toilet]
  • il bidet
  • la doccia [shower]
  • la vasca [bathtub]
  • In many bathrooms: la lavatrice [washer]

IL SALONE / IL SOGGIORNO

  • il divano [couch]
  • la poltrona [armchair]
  • il tavolino [coffee table]
  • il quadro [painting]
  • la lampada [lamp]
  • gli scaffali [shelves]

LA CAMERA DA LETTO

  • il letto matrimoniale [double bed]
  • il letto singolo [single bed]
  • il comodino [bedside table]
  • l’armadio [closet]
  • There may also be: la scrivania [desk]

 

Some adjectives to describe houses and rooms, and a few more useful terms:

moderno
contemporaneo
tradizionale
rustico
elegante
(s)comodo (un)comfortable
pratico
spazioso
luminoso bright
accogliente welcoming; cozy
il pian terreno ground floor; first floor
il primo piano, il secondo piano… the second floor, the third floor…
il pavimento floor (surface you walk on)
il portone main door of a building
la porta door
l’ingresso entryway
la finestra window
affittare / l’affitto to rent / rent

 

License

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Spunti: Italiano elementare 1 Copyright © 2018 by Daniel Leisawitz and Daniela Viale is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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