Which single document should I insist on before signing anything?

The computo metrico estimativo. A preventivo can be a single line and a number, which tells you nothing and lets the scope drift. An itemized takeoff with quantities and unit prices lets you compare two contractors item by item, spot what one of them left out, and check later whether the quantities billed match what was installed.

Do I need to learn Italian to run the project?

No, but you need to be able to read these words when they appear, because they carry the money. The practical setup is to keep every instruction and question in writing, translated in both directions, so the tiler reads the same item you approved. A checklist that stores each note in its author's language and shows it to everyone else in theirs removes most of the risk that the two versions diverge.

What does escluso mean at the bottom of a quote?

Excluded. It is followed by the list of everything the price does not cover, and that list is where the surprises live: scaffolding, waste disposal, VAT, professional fees, comune fees, utility connections, and often the supply of finishes. Read the exclusions before the total.

Is garanzia decennale an insurance policy?

Not by itself. It refers to the ten year liability an Italian builder carries for serious defects that affect the building's stability or essential parts. There is a separate insurance product, and it is only mandatory in specific situations such as a developer selling a newly built home. If you want an insured warranty rather than a claim against a company that may not exist in eight years, ask for the policy and read who is covered.

What is the difference between collaudo and agibilita?

Collaudo is a technical test and acceptance of something specific, for example the structural collaudo of reinforced concrete work or a pressure test on the plumbing. Agibilita is the administrative confirmation that the property is fit to occupy, filed by your technician after the works, with the trade certificates and the cadastral update attached. You can pass a collaudo and still be missing agibilita.

Italian Construction Terms: Glossary for Owners

People and trades

Italian trades are more specialized than American ones. The person who tiles does not plaster, and the person who plasters does not wire. If a scope of work looks thin, it is often because a trade is missing rather than because the price is good.

Italian	English	Note
impresa edile	building firm, general contractor	The company that holds the main contract
committente	the client, the owner	You. The word appears throughout your contract
capocantiere	site foreman	Ask who this is by name; it is who answers on site
muratore	mason	Also does demolition, screeds, and plaster on small jobs
manovale	laborer	Billed at a lower hourly rate in daywork lines
idraulico	plumber	Often termoidraulico, covering heating as well as water
elettricista	electrician	Must be a registered firm to issue the conformity certificate
falegname	joiner	Makes doors, windows, and built-ins; not a framer
serramentista	window and door installer	Usually a supplier who also installs
piastrellista	tiler	Prices per square metre, with extras for small or laid-diagonal formats
cartongessista	drywall installer	Separate trade from the muratore
intonacatore	plasterer	Applies intonaco; rasatura may be a separate line
imbianchino	painter and decorator	Usually the last trade before cleaning
fabbro	metalworker	Railings, gates, security doors, structural steel on small jobs
marmista	stone fabricator	Worktops, sills, thresholds, stairs
subappaltatore	subcontractor	Ask for the list in writing before signing

Professionals and their filings

Italian	English	Note
geometra	surveyor and building technician	Files permits, handles cadastre, often supervises the works
architetto	architect	Design, heritage work, tendering
ingegnere	engineer	Structural calculation and certification
direttore dei lavori	works supervisor	Appointed by you; certifies work matches the permit
pratica edilizia	building filing	The paperwork bundle submitted to the comune
asseverazione	sworn technical statement	A technician's certification, with legal liability attached
CILA	certified notice of works start	Extraordinary maintenance not touching structure or facade
SCIA	certified notice of activity start	Heavier maintenance, conservative restoration, lighter restructuring
permesso di costruire	building permit	New build and heavier restructuring; the comune must issue it
attivita edilizia libera	work needing no filing	Ordinary maintenance, subject to constraints
fine lavori	completion notice	Filed with the comune when work ends
agibilita	fitness for occupancy	Certified by filing after qualifying works
collaudo	testing and formal acceptance	Structural collaudo is a separate certificate from a pressure test
sopralluogo	site visit or inspection	Charge for these is often per visit
rilievo	measured survey	The drawing of the building as it stands

Records, compliance, and problems

Italian	English	Note
catasto	cadastral register	Records plans, surface, category, and notional value
visura catastale	cadastral extract	Who owns it and how it is registered
planimetria catastale	filed floor plan	Compare it to reality; mismatches are common
rendita catastale	notional cadastral income	The basis for property taxes
categoria catastale	cadastral category	A/2, A/3, A/4 for homes, A/7 for detached, C/2 storage, C/6 garage
DOCFA	cadastral update filing	Filed when layout, surface, or category changes
atto di provenienza	deed of title	Shows how the current owner acquired it
abuso edilizio	unpermitted work	Anything built without or beyond authorization
difformita	divergence from the permit	Smaller than an abuso but still a problem at sale
tolleranze costruttive	construction tolerances	Small deviations the law forgives; thresholds have changed, verify current rules
sanatoria	regularization of past work	Possible only under specific conditions, with a fine
condono	amnesty under a specific past law	Old applications are often still unresolved; check for one
vincolo paesaggistico	landscape protection	Triggers a separate authorization on top of the building filing
Soprintendenza	heritage authority	Its opinion can be binding, and it runs on its own timetable
DURC	contribution compliance certificate	Proof the firm has paid its social contributions; ask to see a current one
notifica preliminare	preliminary site notification	Filed with the health authority on qualifying sites
PSC and POS	safety plans	Required when more than one company works on the site

Money, quotes, and contracts

Italian	English	Note
preventivo	quote or estimate	Not an invoice and not a contract
computo metrico estimativo	itemized priced takeoff	Quantities times unit prices; ask for it
capitolato	specification	Defines quality and method, not just quantity
prezzario regionale	regional unit price book	The reference many quotes are built from
analisi prezzi	price breakdown	How a unit price splits into labor, material, plant
contratto d'appalto	construction contract	Signed by owner and impresa
a corpo	lump sum	One price for a defined scope
a misura	measured	Priced on quantities actually executed
in economia	daywork	Hourly labor plus materials; the line to watch
fornitura e posa	supply and install	If it says solo posa, you are buying the material yourself
SAL	progress payment stage	Stato avanzamento lavori; tie money to these
acconto	deposit or payment on account	Keep it modest
ritenuta a garanzia	retainage	Held back until the punch list is closed
saldo	final payment	Release it after certificates are in hand
variante	change order	Get cost and time impact in writing before it is executed
fattura	invoice	Carries the VAT number; pay against this only
IVA	VAT	Commonly 10% on residential renovation work, 22% standard; verify your case
bonifico parlante	referenced bank transfer	Required wording if you claim an Italian renovation deduction
partita IVA	VAT number	A firm without one cannot invoice you properly
codice fiscale	Italian tax code	You need one as a foreign owner
garanzia decennale	ten year liability for serious defects	A statutory liability, not automatically an insurance policy
polizza CAR	contractor's all risks insurance	Ask for the certificate, not a verbal assurance
oneri di sicurezza	safety costs	A separate line in a properly built quote
riserva	formal reservation or claim	How a contractor puts a disputed cost on the record

Materials and building elements

Italian	English	Note
cantiere	construction site	Also used for the project as a whole
demolizione	demolition	Usually priced with smaltimento, disposal, separately
smaltimento macerie	rubble disposal	Legally tracked waste; check it is in the quote
ponteggio	scaffolding	Frequently excluded and expensive
muro portante	load bearing wall	Touching it means a structural filing
tramezzo	non structural partition	Usually hollow block or plasterboard
solaio	floor and ceiling structure	Replacing one is structural work
trave	beam	Travi in legno means timber beams, common in old houses
pilastro	column or pier	Reinforced concrete or masonry
cemento armato	reinforced concrete	Abbreviated c.a. in drawings
forati	hollow clay blocks	The standard partition material
intonaco	plaster or render	Rough coat; rasatura is the smooth skim on top
cartongesso	plasterboard	Used for partitions, boxing, and dropped ceilings
controsoffitto	dropped ceiling	Where recessed lighting and ducts hide
massetto	screed	Levels the floor over the services; needs drying time
vespaio	ventilated void or hardcore bed	Damp control at ground level
guaina	waterproof membrane	Liquid or sheet; essential under wet room tile
cappotto	external insulation system	Changes the facade, so check constraints
gres porcellanato	porcelain stoneware	The default Italian floor tile
pavimento and rivestimento	floor tile and wall tile	Quoted separately, per square metre
fuga	grout joint	Fuga stretta means a narrow joint, which costs more to lay
battiscopa	baseboard or skirting	Often the same material as the floor
infissi or serramenti	windows and external doors	The biggest single supply item in most renovations
persiane, scuri, tapparelle	louvred shutters, solid shutters, roller blinds	Replacement type may be constrained by the comune
davanzale and soglia	window sill and threshold	Usually stone, from the marmista
coppi and tegole	curved and flat roof tiles	Reusing the originals is often required in historic centres

Systems and utilities

Italian	English	Note
impianto	installed system	Impianto elettrico, idraulico, termico, gas
traccia	chased channel in masonry	Where conduit runs before plastering
corrugato	flexible conduit	Italian wiring is pulled through conduit, not stapled
scatola 503	three module wall box	The standard Italian box size for switches and sockets
quadro elettrico	consumer unit or panel	Ask for a labelled schedule of circuits
salvavita	residual current device	Trade name in general use; formally interruttore differenziale
magnetotermico	circuit breaker	Often combined with the differenziale in one device
potenza impegnata	contracted electrical power	The default domestic contract is small; upgrades cost money
contatore	utility meter	Electricity, gas, and water each have one
POD and PDR	electricity and gas supply point codes	You need these to open or take over a contract
subentro	taking over a closed supply	What you do when the meter has been dormant
voltura	transferring an active contract	Faster than a subentro
dichiarazione di conformita	installer's certificate of conformity	Required for electrical and gas work; keep the original
caldaia	boiler	Camera stagna means a sealed combustion unit
pompa di calore	heat pump	Increasingly the default replacement for a boiler
termosifone	radiator	Also radiatore or elemento
riscaldamento a pavimento	underfloor heating	Adds a commissioning cycle before tiling
canna fumaria	flue	Cannot be shared between a hood and a gas appliance
cappa	extraction hood	Ducted or recirculating; the difference is structural
colonna di scarico	soil stack	Its position limits where a bathroom can go
sifone	trap	Sifone ispezionabile means it can be opened for cleaning
fossa Imhoff	settlement septic tank	Common where there is no mains drainage
autoclave	booster pump	Needed where mains pressure is weak
addolcitore	water softener	Worth it in most of Italy; limescale is aggressive
sanitari and rubinetteria	sanitaryware and taps	Treated as significant goods for VAT purposes
allaccio	utility connection	New connections are a separate cost and a separate timeline

False friends worth memorizing

Ristrutturazione is not simply renovation. It is a legal category of intervention, and which category you are in decides your permit, your VAT rate, and your timeline.
Restauro means conservative restoration in the technical sense, with obligations to preserve what exists. It is not a synonym for a nice refurbishment.
Camera means bedroom, not room. Cucina abitabile is a kitchen large enough to eat in; cucinotto is not.
Rustico describes an unfinished or agricultural building shell, and often carries planning limits on turning it into a home.
Cantina is a cellar or storage room, and as a cadastral category it may not be legally habitable regardless of how you finish it.
Preventivo firmato, a signed quote, is often treated as the contract. If you sign one, read it as a contract, because in a dispute it will be read that way.

Questions people ask

Which single document should I insist on before signing anything?: The computo metrico estimativo. A preventivo can be a single line and a number, which tells you nothing and lets the scope drift. An itemized takeoff with quantities and unit prices lets you compare two contractors item by item, spot what one of them left out, and check later whether the quantities billed match what was installed.
Do I need to learn Italian to run the project?: No, but you need to be able to read these words when they appear, because they carry the money. The practical setup is to keep every instruction and question in writing, translated in both directions, so the tiler reads the same item you approved. A checklist that stores each note in its author's language and shows it to everyone else in theirs removes most of the risk that the two versions diverge.
What does escluso mean at the bottom of a quote?: Excluded. It is followed by the list of everything the price does not cover, and that list is where the surprises live: scaffolding, waste disposal, VAT, professional fees, comune fees, utility connections, and often the supply of finishes. Read the exclusions before the total.
Is garanzia decennale an insurance policy?: Not by itself. It refers to the ten year liability an Italian builder carries for serious defects that affect the building's stability or essential parts. There is a separate insurance product, and it is only mandatory in specific situations such as a developer selling a newly built home. If you want an insured warranty rather than a claim against a company that may not exist in eight years, ask for the policy and read who is covered.
What is the difference between collaudo and agibilita?: Collaudo is a technical test and acceptance of something specific, for example the structural collaudo of reinforced concrete work or a pressure test on the plumbing. Agibilita is the administrative confirmation that the property is fit to occupy, filed by your technician after the works, with the trade certificates and the cadastral update attached. You can pass a collaudo and still be missing agibilita.

Start with a checklist

9 phases · 78 items · free to start

Renovation in Italy

Renovating in Italy follows a documented sequence, and most of the difficulty for a foreign owner is knowing which document belongs to which phase. This checklist lays out the phases from purchase due diligence to agibilità, using the Italian terms your geometra and impresa will actually use, with the English meaning next to each one. The paperwork items matter as much as the building items, because a missing declaration can block a utility contract or a future sale.

Related guides

Renovating in Italy

Italian Construction Terminology for English Speakers