Palm trees and petals create a lush paradise.

At the top of a majestic 19th-century building off the Via del Corso is architect and designer Andrea Truglio’s home. His sun-soaked rooftop patio is among the property’s most impressive features. Boasting gorgeous greenery, weathered terracotta tiles and magnificent views of the Villa Borghese gardens, the patio is the perfect spot to soak up the Italian sun. 

A canopy of trees provides shade. 

The Italians have mastered the art of dining alfresco. “People eat outdoors whenever they can,” says Foulston. “The area immediately surrounding a country villa or a city apartment is considered an extension of that property’s inside space.” Take that sensibility into your own home and dine under the sun as the Italians do.  

The Italians do rustic right. 

Ocean blue paint blankets the picnic table like a salty wave from the Adriatic Sea. Durable tableware, likely passed down from nonno and nonna, is the key to dining outdoors. Swap plastic plates for inexpensive antique dishes and cutlery to make dining alfresco all the more Italian. 

A long table invites food, family and friends. 

Northern Italy provides the perfect backdrop for this exotic terrace in the city of Modica. The owners, an architect and her husband, often entertain in the outdoor space – and with a view like that, it’s easy to see why. Tiles from Caltagirone patterned in a design by Viviana Haddad pave the floor, while simple white chairs and a Parsons-style table add a fresh contemporary feel to the open-air decor.