½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

I agree with Dylano and Gala - especially Gala's suggestion that you get a 'visura' on the bit of land where you want to park your car. A visura is like a 'land registry' document which will show you if the land is owned by anyone, and will show you who it is owned by or if it is communale (which roughly translates as public). This is a very small issue, almost every geometra, certainly every notaio, (and many estate agents) can access from their own computer this information at almost no cost. (They pay a subscription for the access to the catastal maps and ownership details, and if you are a client they might charge something like €10,00.) Assuming you don't speak ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ, perhaps your most economical route to get this sorted is via the agent who sold you the apartment, alternatively via the notaio who did the atto. However if you have a geometra involved, leave it to him.

I'd disagree that Classe has no relevance. 3 or 4 is not important, but Classe is a measurement of 'prestige' - and if you are looking at Classe 7 residential you are in a deluxe Villa category which not only means that you will be paying ICI even on your prima casa but that the tax men will be paying very close attention! Same goes for non residential - for exampple (and it makes sense) - if you have a shop on the main drag in a big city you will be 'classed' higher than a corner shop in a half dead village, and correspondingly pay more 'rates'. But this is nitpicking - Ram is completely correct that the information you are looking at is absolutely useless to you! There is no way that you could ever make a sensible decision to buy an ½ûÂþÌìÌà property by looking at catastal information.

"Presentata" - this is in the past tense, it translates as "presented" (you do not give enough context for me to know whether the notaio is stating that the "denuncia" has already been made, or that the notaio will get on with stuff only after it has been presented). It is necessary to make a statement to the correct authorities that a death has occurred, and to formalise the 'successione': this statement is the "denuncia". The translation of this as a 'complaint' is misleading in your case, (although it isn't a stupid translation) it simply means a denouncement = statement. The 'successione' one could translate as "will" - except that there isn't a great deal of free will involved in the disposition of an estate under ½ûÂþÌìÌà succession law: basically for a considerable proportion of the estate the law insists that 'gli eredi' (those who will inherit) are the offspring of the dead person (in equal parts - in other words not all goes to the eldest son but everything is divided, and sometimes cousins and other relatives come into the equation). I'd hazard a guess (but it is only a guess) that the letter from the notaio is telling you that given the information provided by a relative of the deceased the notaio has the intention of distributing the estate in the manner described in the notaio's letter to you.

I agree with Penny and Ram. The important thing is that you are not married (yet). Stump up the extra 4% (as Ram points out, this is based on catastal value and not sale price) and so you are a 50% owner for very little money.

You will no doubt get a better reply from one of the solicitors who sometimes contribute to this forum, but to answer at least one of your queries, here is 'my take' on this. You say you bought the piece of land potentially in dispute (along with the other properties), so the first point of reference is going to be your 'atto'. The notaio should have (and almost certainly did) require from the seller a statement that the piece of land was in every way 'unencumbered'. Squatter's rights (usucapione) usually require an uninterrupted and unchallenged use of a piece of land (or a building) for twenty years. (There are provisions which reduce this to ten years, though these seem unlikely to be relevant to your situation). The fact that you have "been advantaged" by the cultivator having given you produce is quite important - you have had what could be considered as beneficial use of the land by virtue of these "gifts". Certainly any possible entitlement to 'squatter's rights' has not been altered by the fact that the land changed ownership (ie. when you bought it). The funny thing is, your question is more often posed in the reverse situation! By this I mean that you might have decided to risk buying a piece of land or a building even knowing that the provenance of the title to the land or building was based on usucapione. In that case (suppose nobody had made any claim to the property for 19 years) you only have to wait one year to make your ownership completely unchallengable - (maybe this is what you are thinking about when you talk about a change of ownership altering the situation). I'd be a little concerned (as you sensibly are) because it's never comfortable to have a dispute with a nasty lawyer - but don't allow yourself to be bullied. Hire a legal eagle who is completely on your side - (maybe I'd even suggest someone not too close to your locality). Good luck.

They are very useful, and surprisingly (though not fully, with me)  hardy. I bought a gorgeous one with deep purple flowers, and the grower advised me it really couldn't stand full sun, but it is coping very well (in a pot, in almost full building shade). I think it'd be happier with about four hours of sunlight. The more common white flowered version is less particular about shade. Something else which in Britain we tend to think of as a house plant, but which will happily go rampant over the summer in Italy even in open ground is the 'spider plant'. Consider a very simple 'cutting' as an instant 'annual' bit of greenery.

This is news to me - I'm not doubting your word, but I can't find anything to confirm it as a national measure, maybe something connected with giving regions autonomy over health budgeting? But the whole notion of a "reasonable token charge" at the point of health care/medicine delivery seems good to me. For example, your medico di famiglia recommends (say) a heart ecograph - or you say to your medico you fancy a heart ecograph - for €35 you can have one probably within a fortnight. (If it's urgent, there is another route which cuts the waiting time down, but doesn't put the price up). Now isn't that sensible? I guess a heart ecograph would cost £200 in a private UK clinic (possibly more). To get a vet to ecograph a cat in the UK - well, uness you have pet insurance you wouldn't go there - but in Italy it is max a €60 throw. Do you see where I'm going? The American system (in a ghasty way being followed by the UK system) is in thrall to insurance of every type - most socially disastrously in health insurance - and all this does is to feed shareholders of drug companies and overpaid (in their turn, overinsured against malpractice suits) "medical specialists". Rant over - but the cretinous fixation about 'free at the point of delivery' is barking mad and so demonstrably counterproductive that only Brits would put up with it! To beef about €0,21 and call it a hidden tax.....perlease. 

You are permittted to detract commission costs on share purchases/sales when calculating the plusvalenza payable. This is a link to the Agenzia page about plusvalenza - I hope it is entirely up to date!  

A Notary (Notaio) is a person who -and I am not discussing how they became a notaio - has a great deal of power, effectively conferred by the state. Many notaii are  competely honest persons (I would also say most nottaii). I do not think you should be afraid of a notaio. If you have a contentious issue with an eredità you NEED a notaio - this is the only person who can expain it all to you. If you are unhappy with the explanation you are free to consult a different notaio. Auguri!  

The regulations are not as 'tight' here in Italy as they are in England (exc London and regions) about staircases - however it would be good to run this stuff past your geometra before committing yourself (in case it impinges on your progetto strutturale).