Houses / Homes

Where do people in Italy live?

	They live in un centro storico (historic downtown), in old buildings, or recently built apartment buildings in newer parts of the town, Old apartments are often beautifully ristrutturati (renovated). More than 53% of the people living in Italy live in an apartment.
	They live in apartments and houses that have at least un balcone (balcony). When people don’t have room for un orto (vegetable garden) they carve one out on their balconies.
	They live in una villetta / una casa familiare (single- family home) sometimes in villette a schiera (row homes) which can be found in una zona residenziale (the closest thing to an American suburb).
	They live in apartments in i palazzi popolari (housing projects) in la periferia (the outskirts of a city or big town). These buildings have been contructed in the last sixty years to accomodate a growing urban population.
	They live in una casa di campagna, sometimes in una cascina / un casolare, old farm houses often beautifully restored.

On the outside you may find:

	IL BALCONE or IL TERRAZZO (a wider balcony) and ALCUNE FINESTRE (some windows)
	IL GIARDINO (flower garden / yard)
	L’ORTO

and to park your car, IL GARAGE.

After you open il portone (main door of a building) and/or la porta (door), you will stand in l’ingresso (entryway)  and you will find:

	LA CUCINA with il frigorifero / il frigo (refrigerator / fridge), il forno (oven), i fornelli (stove), il lavandino (sink), sometimes la lavastoviglie (dishwasher) and usually un tavolo con le sedie (a table with chairs).  In bigger apartments and in houses there is often una sala da pranzo (dining room).
	IL BAGNO with il lavandino, il water (toilet), il bidet, la doccia (shower) and la vasca (bathtub). In many houses and apartments la lavatrice (washer) is in the bathroom.
	IL SALONE / IL SOGGIORNO  with un divano (couch), una poltrona (armchair), un tavolino (coffee table), maybe alcuni quadri (some paintings), una lampada (lamp) and alcuni scaffali (shelves).
	LA CAMERA DA LETTO with il letto matrimoniale or singolo (double or single bed), il comodino (bedside table) and l’armadio (closet). You may also find una scrivania (desk) if there is not uno studio (study) in the apartment.

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