Buying in Rome: the back story

About Buying in Rome: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Rome Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Rome’s most sought-after homes are in the historic centre between the Pantheon and the Piazza del Popolo, on the Aventine, and in the green residential districts of Parioli and the Villa Borghese. Prati, built after 1870, has broad streets of solid apartment blocks near the Vatican. In Italy the sale is completed by a deed signed before a notaio, a public official.

Where people buy

The Centro Storico and the Tridente for apartments in historic palazzi; the Aventine for quiet villas; Parioli and the streets around the Villa Borghese for larger apartments and villas; Prati for elegant blocks near the Vatican; and Monteverde, above Trastevere, by the Villa Doria Pamphilj.

How a sale works

A sale usually begins with a purchase proposal and a preliminary contract (compromesso), and is completed by the final deed (rogito) signed before a notaio, who checks the title and registers the sale. A foreign buyer needs an Italian tax code (codice fiscale). The Consiglio Nazionale del Notariato explains each step on notariato.it.

We never publish prices; ask an agent and your notary.

Our advice: appoint your own notary and an independent lawyer, and confirm every step with them.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Buying in Rome: the back story before you go.