In the Apennines , the search for hilltop sites (less frequent today because of land-reclamation) can be promoted by very different factors. In the northern and central parts of the Apennines one finds the typical ”Italic” brick house, built on two levels with a rectangular ground-plan, a lightly-pitched gable roof and an outdoor staircase; it houses both farm-premises and living accommodation. The roof is covered with slates or flat tiles and there is a water butt. Such houses are designed to adapt themselves to the physical features of their site.
The ground floor is used as a barn and tool-shed, while the upper floor contains the kitchen and bedrooms. In the mountainous areas, materials such as fieldstone or rubble are used; frequently, the stone buildings are usually left un-stuccoed.