#96 Terrazza envy

Hello Friend,

I'm not jealous, except when it comes to one thing…

Terrazzas!

My name is Rochelle, and I suffer from terrace envy.

I want one so bad it's eating me alive.

Those beautiful top-storey open-air terraces are so common in Italy. Initially, they were for Florentine aristocrats in the Middle Ages to get fresh air and sunshine and socialise in the summer away from the hoi polloi. 

But these days, a terrazza in Italy is a thing of beauty better than any apartment penthouse. It's a balcony that overlooks other rooftops, streets and city views.

It can be open-air or even covered. Either way, it's an ample open space on the top floor to use as you please.

A little private space to put out tables and shaded awnings for an alfresco coffee in the morning. A spot to do some sunbathing in the nutty. A place to relax. Or hang out your washing. Some people have barbecues and washing basins, with small bar fridges to entertain guests in the summer.

Photo by Mike Tyurin

The only negative is that everyone has to walk through your house to get up to the roof, and you have to be organised; otherwise, you will be going up and down the stairs to grab anything you forget.

But the most important thing about the terrace is that, for me, it is a symbol of la Dolce Vita. A terrazza is your own private space to entertain yourself, close friends and family. Who doesn't have the fantasy of sitting out on some rooftop bar in Italy, with a spritz in hand, while looking out onto some kind of astoundingly beautiful panorama of your favourite Italian city.

You can have the pokiest tiny house squeezed up against other houses in the centro storico of any small paese, but if you got that little open-air space, it's like a little piece of heaven.

I often dream of hanging out on the terrace, drinking coffee, reading a book, writing or having an alfresco lunch.

Messina, copyright Rochelle Del Borrello 2024

Many a terrazzo at Messina has wonderful rooftop gardens; I often see greenery arching over the tops of apartment buildings, even in the built-up centre of town. This is a new level of terrace. Can you imagine having your own top-floor garden space? How luxurious. 

Even with a garden terrace, I'd be concerned about things like water damage and the potential for mold. And even with a regular open terrace, there is always an ongoing war with those rats with wings, more commonly known as pigeons, who will nest, get dirty and generally create havoc.

Pigeons and stray cats are a whole other topic to explore. Once, I accidentally left my attic window open over a weekend away and returned to find an actual scene from a horror movie.

A pigeon had gotten in, obviously followed by a hunting cat who massacred the bird in my attic. It took me ages to clean out all the feathers, entrails and bits and pieces left behind after the murder. I still gag, at the recollection of the homicides crime scene.

The house in front of me is currently empty, but it has a terrace, as does the place to my right side and around the other side of the small Piazzetta where I live in my Sicilian village.

Photo by Brian Ramirez

The only two places in the vicinity that don't are my place and my invasive neighbour, La Signora Peppina. She doesn't have the space for a terrazza. And I don't have one because of her.

You see, in Italy, like in many other countries, any new building project or home improvement being proposed, the designs for the projects are submitted to the local town hall (comune) who, in their process, place it on public display in case there are any concerns from the community.

It turns out Mrs Peppina felt like our terrazza would violate her privacy. So now we have a closed-in attic, a space covered by roof tiles that is not a functional part of our house.

There is no space to dry our clothes, nowhere to put a table and chairs, no summer entertainment or even space for a cheeky quick cocktail at sunset.

Thanks to Peppina, I will never have my own personal dolce vita space.

All I have is a pokey little attic and a bad case of terrazza envy.

Sometimes, I look out of my small attic windows and imagine how wonderful it might be to have one day.

I half-jokingly say to my husband; perhaps we can renovate after Peppina kicks the bucket.

Ma pazienza.

What do you think of Italian terraces? Love them or hate them.

Love from

Rochelle 

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About me

My name is Rochelle Del Borrello (@rochelledelborrello), and I'm a writer based in Sicily, Italy. Over the past decade, I've been writing about Sicily online, as a travel writer and on my blog. 

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