Selling a large home in Trieste: the market above 145 m²

In 2025, 300 of the 3,585 homes sold in the city of Trieste were larger than 145 m²: 8.4%, about 25 a month. Across Friuli Venezia Giulia, rural areas included, the share is 25.7%; in the region's four provincial capitals together, 13.0%. If you own a large flat in a period building or a villa above the town, you are selling into a narrow market, and the price, the timing and the way you present the home all follow from that.

In short

• 300 sales a year above 145 m² in the city, out of 3,585 (2025 figures of OMI, the observatory of Italy's revenue agency).
• The typical sale is small: the average home sold in the city measured 95 m².
• Large homes are not losing ground: sales above 145 m² rose 4.2% in 2025, against 0.6% for all homes.
• Prices rose: OMI's average for the city reached €1,931/m², up 6.3%.
• Waiting has a cost: on a second home not declared to the Region, ILIA on a flat with a rendita of €2,000 is €3,562 a year.
• Splitting a flat in two is extraordinary maintenance in this region, filed with a notice, not a permit.

How many large homes sell in Trieste?

OMI counts sales by size class every year. These are its figures for 2025, for the city and for the whole province.

Size	City of Trieste	Share	Whole province
up to 50 m²	206	5.7%	234
50–85 m²	1,449	40.4%	1,540
85–115 m²	1,063	29.7%	1,176
115–145 m²	567	15.8%	633
over 145 m²	300	8.4%	385
Total	3,585		3,968

OMI counts normalised transactions, weighted by the share of the home sold; the shares are our arithmetic on its counts. Seven sales in ten fall between 50 and 115 m². The average size of a home sold in the city was 95 m², slightly above the year before; in the region as a whole, 120.9 m².

For comparison, the cadastral register gives the city's 126,831 homes an average area of 97 m², by our division of the agency's totals for 2025.

Is the market for large homes shrinking?

No. In 2025 sales above 145 m² in the city rose by 4.2%, and those between 115 and 145 m² by 9.5%, while all sales rose by 0.6%. OMI's average price for the city rose by 6.3% in the same year, which it puts down to demand exceeding a limited supply, above all in the most sought-after areas.

Outside the city the picture differs. In Duino-Aurisina, OMI notes, sales are mostly of medium-to-large homes, from 85 m² up, while small homes are scarce on the market.

What does a narrow market mean for the price?

Fewer sales mean fewer comparisons. OMI publishes price ranges per zone and per square metre, and says its figures do not replace the valuation of a single property. With 300 sales a year above 145 m², three precautions are worth taking:

• set the price against the few recent sales of similar homes, not against the asking prices around you;
• publish the listing in Italian, and in English and German too;
• have floor plans, papers and condominium accounts ready from the first viewing, since running costs weigh more on a large home.

What does waiting cost?

Example. Assumptions, ours: a 220 m² flat in category A/2 with a rendita of €2,000, owned as a second home. ILIA is levied on the rendita raised by 5% and multiplied by 160.

	Calculation	A year
Taxable value	€2,000 × 1.05 × 160 = €336,000
ILIA at 1.06% (Trieste, not a main home)	€336,000 × 1.06%	€3,561.60
ILIA at 0.70% (the one second home declared to the Region)	€336,000 × 0.70%	€2,352

Condominium fees, heating and insurance come on top. Each extra year on the market adds at least the ILIA. Year by year, see owning in Trieste.

Should I sell the garage or cellar separately?

Sometimes it helps. A buyer of a large flat may want the garage; another buyer may want only the garage. Some garages, though, cannot be sold apart from a flat by law. See garages and parking in Trieste.

Can I split a large flat into two before selling?

In Friuli Venezia Giulia, dividing one home into two is extraordinary maintenance (manutenzione straordinaria) under Regional Law 19/2009, article 4, as long as the building's total volume and its use stay the same. It is carried out with a notice of start of works backed by a technician's sworn report (article 16 bis), not a building permit, within the town plan and building regulations. Protected buildings need the relevant authorisation first.

No building contribution is due for a split that does not increase the taxable floor area or change the use (article 30). The costs that remain are the works, the technician and the cadastral filings: in the catasto each unit is, as a rule, a single portion of the building with its own identifier, so each new flat needs its own record, filed with DOCFA.

In a condominium, an owner may not carry out works that damage the common parts or harm the stability, safety or architectural appearance of the building, and must notify the administrator in advance (civil code, article 1122).

Whether two smaller flats will fetch more than one large one depends on the building, the floor, the light and the zone. Ask for a valuation of both versions before you start.

What to do now

• Work out the home's size in square metres and see where it falls in the table.
• Gather floor plans, the cadastral record and two years of condominium accounts.
• Work out your annual ILIA, and decide how long you can wait.
• If you are thinking of splitting, ask a technician to check the town plan and the condominium rules.
• Ask your notary how the new flats would be entered in the Libro fondiario: see the Trieste land register.

Frequently asked questions

How many homes over 145 m² sell in Trieste each year?

In 2025, 300 in the city of Trieste and 385 in the whole province, according to OMI. That is 8.4% of the city's sales.

What is the average size of a home sold in Trieste?

95 m² in the city in 2025, according to OMI; across Friuli Venezia Giulia, 120.9 m².

Can I split my flat into two in Trieste?

In Friuli Venezia Giulia a split that keeps volume and use unchanged is extraordinary maintenance, filed with a sworn notice of start of works. The town plan and building regulations still apply.

Do I need to tell the condominium if I split my flat?

Yes: the civil code requires notice to the administrator in advance, and the works must not harm the common parts, stability, safety or appearance of the building.

Where this guide stops

It gives no price for any home and no estimate of how long a sale takes. It does not cover change of use, extensions or the condominium's own regulations. Works are for the technician, the deed for the notary, tax for the commercialista.

If you own a large home in Trieste, the market for it is a few hundred sales a year. We value it as it is and, where it makes sense, as two homes, and we show it in four languages. Request a confidential valuation, in English or German.

These are the rules and the numbers, not advice on your case: the technician has the last word on works, the notary on the deed, the commercialista on tax. Write to richieste@triestevillas.com or WhatsApp +39 331 8940822.