Particella (cadastral parcel)

The particella is an area on the cadastral map with its own boundaries and number: a field, a courtyard, or the plot a building stands on. The number is unique within the foglio (map sheet), so the full identifier is municipality, section (where there is one), sheet and parcel.

Particella and mappale are the same thing: mappale is the word used in notarial deeds and planning drawings, particella the one on the Revenue Agency's visura. In the provinces with the tavolare land registry, such as Trento and Bolzano, the terms are particella fondiaria for land and particella edificiale for buildings.

An example of a full identifier: municipality of Rimini, sheet 74, parcel 1234, subalterno 5 (made-up numbers). The sheet says which part of the municipality the plot is in, the parcel which plot it is, the subalterno which flat is inside it. A block of flats (condominio) normally stands on a single parcel, while each flat, garage or cellar inside it has its own subalterno number.

The area drawn on the map is approximate: it may differ from the real area and from the area stated in deeds. The Revenue Agency's cadastral maps are public under the CC BY 4.0 licence, except where the tavolare land registry (catasto tavolare) applies, as in the provinces of Trento and Bolzano.

To find it from an address: how to find the cadastral sheet and parcel.