Here is a short glossary of some of the properties you may wish to consider when looking to purchase in Italy:

Un Appartamento - an apartment or flat.

Un Bilocale - an apartment with two rooms.

Una Casa - a generic term referring to a house or home.

Una Casetta - a small house.

Una Casale - a farmhouse, or even a small hamlet.

Un Castello – a castle.

Una Casa Bifamiliare – a semi-detached house.

Una Casa Canonica  - a vicarage; usually found next to the local church.

Una Casa Colonica or Una Cascina - a farmhouse.

Una Masseria – a large estate, usually in the south of Italy.

Un Podere – a smallholding with enough space for growing vegetables and maybe also running a couple of livestock.

Un Trullo – the cone-topped agricultural dwellings that are ever more sought-after in the southern region of Puglia.

Una Fattoria – a working farm.

Un Agriturismo – a working farm offering accommodation.

Una Casa Padronale  - the main house on an estate, where the landowner would have lived.

Un Palazzo – a term used to refer to almost any large apartment building or block of flats. It can also refer to a large town house or mansion.

Un Attico – an attic apartment.

Una Mansarda – a loft conversion.

Un Monolocale – a studio apartment/bedsit.

Una Villetta a Schiera  - a terraced house.

Un Rustico –a small agricultural building, which may or may not have previously been used as a permanent dwelling and may come with a bit of land.

Un Rudere - an abandoned ruin.

And some information on the twenty regions to choose from:

Valle d’Aosta – the region in the uppermost North West tip of Italy, with borders to Switzerland and France, famous for its ski resorts and for Roman ruins.

Piemonte – just below Valle d’Aosta and sharing a border with France. Previously a quiet, agricultural backwater, the Winter Olympics have transformed especially the capital – Torino – into the gleaming home of Baroque architecture and upmarket boutiques.

Lombardia – the region of Italy’s capital, Milano and despite being landlocked, boasts some of Italy’s most beautiful and famous lakes – Lago Maggiore, Lago di Como, Lago d’Ideao, Lago di Garda and Lago di Lungano to name but a few.

Trentino Alto Adige –on the Northern tip of Italy next to Austria and famous for skiing. Trentino is primarily Italian in language and culture, but Alto Adige has strong ties to Austria.

Friuli-Venezia Giulia – shares a border and ski slopes with Slovenia. Also home to a choice of beaches and the ruins of the Roman town of Aquileira, founded in 181 BC.

Il Veneto –home to what is one of Italy’s most beautiful cities, Venice. Also offers a prestigious ski resort – Cortina d’Ampezzo, and the fabulous medieval towns of Padova, Verona and Vicenza.

Liguria – a long thin region, Liguria stretches along the Mediterranean from the beautiful villages of the Cinque Terre, to its Western border with France. It boasts mountains and beaches, a mild climate and a thrilling musical and culinary culture.

Emilia Romagna –offers the citta d’arte of Ravenna and Ferrara, as well as the university city of Bologna and the glorious beaches of Rimini.

La Toscana – the most well know region to most British people. Rolling hills, glorious food and home to the historic cities of Firenze, Pisa and Siena, to name but a few.

Umbria – second only in popularity for British buyers, Umbria holds many of the same attraction as the Toscana, but at marginally cheaper prices.

Le Marche – an underdeveloped but charming region boasting a stretch of the Apennine Mountains and some beautiful medieval villages.

Abruzzo and Molise – both earthquake zones, but are areas rich in wildlife and natural parks. Becoming steadily more popular with foreign buyers.

Campania – home to the beautiful and historic cities of Naples, Sorrento and Positano, it is one of the most breath-taking coastlines in the world.

Puglia, Basilicata and Calabria – all poor but very beautiful areas of Italy, famous for their traditions and gastronomy.

Sicilia – a chaotic island of majestic beauty, both natural and architectural and with a fascinating history.

Sardegna – the island next to Corsica. A haven of wonderful beaches and a laid-back lifestyle.

Happy Hunting!