Lesson 1: Casa Dolce Casa

What rooms are typically found in an Italian home?

What furniture and objects are commonly in each room?

How do you describe the location of items in your home? (e.g., Il divano è accanto alla finestra.)

How do Italian homes compare in size, layout, or style to homes in the U.S.?

What types of housing are common in Italy (apartments, townhouses, villas)?

How do Italians typically arrange and decorate their homes?

Why might homes in Italy have different features depending on the region?

How can you describe your home to someone in Italian using accurate vocabulary?

How can this vocabulary be useful when discussing accommodations, renting, or traveling?

How does knowing the words for furniture and rooms help in everyday conversations or cultural interactions?

l’appartamento
il bilocale
la camera doppia/ singola
il palazzo/ l’edificio
il monolocale
la villa
affittare / prendere in affitto
affittasi
vendesi
il piano
il piano terra
il tetto
la mansarda
il seminterrato
il balcone
il garage
la parete
la stanza/camera
il corridoio
la porta
il portone
la finestra
i mobili
la scala
la terrazza
arredato
il giardino
la piscina
la cucina
la dispensa
il frigorifero
il piano cottura
il forno
la sala da pranzo
la credenza
il tavolo
la camera da letto
il letto
il comodino
l’armadio
il salotto/ il soggiorno
la poltrona
il divano
il tappeto
la lampada
il quadro
la tenda
il bagno
il water/ w.c.
la vasca da bagno
la doccia
il bidet
il lavandino
lo studio
lo scaffale
la scrivania

Interpersonal (1.1): Engage in conversations describing homes, rooms, and furniture.

Interpretive (1.2): Understand written or spoken descriptions of Italian homes and living spaces.

Presentational (1.3): Present a description of a home, apartment, or room in Italian.

Understand Italian living spaces and housing norms to interpret cultural perspectives.

Compare Italian housing, furniture, and home organization to that of the U.S. or other countries.

Notice similarities and differences in vocabulary and spatial descriptions.

Apply knowledge to real-world contexts such as discussing housing, rentals, or accommodations while traveling.

DOK 1 (Recall & Reproduction) Identify rooms, furniture, and common household objects.

DOK 2 (Skills & Concepts) Describe the location of items in a room using prepositions; describe one’s home.

DOK 3 (Strategic Thinking) Compare Italian homes to those in the U.S.; justify why certain arrangements or furniture are common in Italy.

DOK 4 (Extended Thinking) Design a floor plan or describe an ideal Italian-inspired home for a presentation project; research regional housing differences.

Travel & Housing: Useful for discussing accommodations or staying with host families in Italy.

Cultural Awareness: Learn about Italian architecture, apartment living, and interior design norms.

Spatial Language: Practice prepositions and descriptions that are transferable to any real-life setting (e.g., giving directions, describing locations).

Social Skills: Comparing living spaces fosters cultural understanding and discussion.

Students may assume all Italian homes are small apartments; in reality, housing varies widely by region.

Students may overgeneralize the layout of American homes to Italian homes (e.g., expecting basements or large kitchens).

Use visuals and labeled diagrams of rooms and furniture.

Provide sentence starters: “La mia camera è…”, “Il divano è accanto a…”, “Ci sono…”

Scaffold with matching activities (room to furniture, room to description).

Compare a real Italian home to a student’s home in writing or discussion.


Research and describe regional Italian housing styles (apartments, villas, historic homes).

Create a floor plan with labels and descriptions in Italian.

Write a cultural comparison paragraph analyzing differences in living spaces and furniture.

General Supports:

Visual aids: diagrams of homes, pictures of furniture

Audio supports: listening to Italian home descriptions from authentic sources

vistaprint online text resource

vistaprint online text resource