The Glossary, Serlio’s technical language
LORENZO VIGOTTI, PhD Candidate, Department of Art History & Archaeology, Columbia University Download pdf
AMEZZARE (verb): divide horizontally one floor in two levels, creating a mezzanine. “Si potranno amezare” (c. 37r).
ANDITO (noun): corridor. “Dall’andito si va alla galleria” (c. 22r).
ANTICAMERA (noun): antechamber, a room located before the ‘camera.’ Usually it is part of an apartment made of “anticamera, camera, rietro camera et camerino” (c. 90r).
ANTIPORTO (noun): corridor, filter space, similar to ‘andito.’ “Sarà serrato un antiporto fra lo vestibuolo et l’andito” (77r).
BROLO/BRUOLO: fenced vegetable garden or orchard. “Dietro la casa sarà bruolo” (c. 8r).
CAMERA (noun): room, often bedroom is implied. “La camera ha il suo camino et il necessario” (c. 69r).
CAMERINO (noun): small room. Usually it is part of an apartment made of “anticamera, camera, rietro camera et camerino” (c. 90r) or a storage space. “La cucina ha due picoli camerini pel suo servitio” (c. 37r).
CAMINO (noun): chimney. “Il camino dal fuoco una canna” (c.68r).
CAPELLA (noun): chapel. “Et la capella havera da un lato un oratorio picolo” (c. 33r).
CANTINA (noun): cellar. “Vi è una cantina freschissima” (c. 22r).
CASIPPOLA (noun): small, simple house. “Delle casippole de i poveri artefici” (c. 69r).
CIMENTO (noun): cement. “Ben commesse le lastre con bonissimo cimento” (c. 16r).
COLOMBARA (noun): dovecote. “La colombara paia esser sopra la casa” (c. 10r).
COLONNA (noun): round column. Serlio is often preoccupied if this vertical element is enough to support the weight of the structure. “Se non trovano buone spalle et contraforti si alargano le colonne” (c. 50r).
COMMODITTA’ (noun): accommodation.
CORTILE (noun): courtyard. If small, ‘cortiletto’ or ‘corticella’ is used. “Loggie le quali circondano il cortile” (c. 70r).
CUCINA (noun): kitchen.
FINESTRA BASTARDA (noun + adj): a window that is only partially open.
FINESTRA MORTA (noun + adj): a false, closed window similar to a niche. “Ornare li parieti di finestre morte per mettervi statue” (c. 14r).
FUOCO (noun): fire, fireplace. Usually used in the sentence ‘fare/avere fuoco’ meaning a fireplace. “Dove si farà fuoco” (c. 3r), “evvi lo fuoco” (c.53r). Also by itself, “sinistro lato del fuoco” (c. 30r).
GALERIA (noun): gallery. Serlio specified that in France a loggia can be called galeria. “Loggia, che qua si dice galeria” (c. 14v). This is because often the loggia is closed with large windows, “galeria fenestrata la quale circonda un cortile” (c. 47r).
GIARDINO (noun): garden. If small, ‘giardinetto’ is also used. “Loggie intorno al giardino” (c. 16r).
GIUOCO DI/DA PALLA (noun): a rectangular courtyard used for playing with a ball. “Sarà un giuco da palla che heverà una entrata dal cortiletto” (c. 33r).
GRANARO (noun): granary. Serlio adds the translation into French: “di poi vi è il granaro che qua si dice galattà” (c. 69r).
HABITATIONE (noun): residential building. “Le habitationi de i più poveri huomini” (c. 68r).
LIMACA (noun): winding stairway. “Una limaca nel angolo” (c. 22r).
LOGGIA (noun): loggia, a space with large openings supported by pillars or columns. “Loggia la quale circonda un cortile” (c. 35r).
LOGGIAMENTO (noun): accommodation. “Se l’huomo vora più loggiamento, si troverà una camera” (c. 69r).
LUCARNE (noun): dormer window. “L’altezza delle lucarne sopra la cornice” (c. 50r).
NECESSARIO (noun): privy, latrine. Usually used in the plural form ‘necessarij “pei necessarij comuni” (c. 10r). Serlio makes a point about the necessity of latrines: “sin qui non ho parlato de i necessarij, che anchora che siano necessarissimi” (c. 50r). When used as an adjective, the meaning is ‘necessary’ “per altri luochi necessarij” (c. 72r).
OFICIO (noun): function. Serlio usually uses this term for service rooms with flexible or indefinite functions. “Dalli lati di esso sono diversi oficij” (c. 33r).
ORATORIO (noun): oratory, study room. “Et di poi uno oratorio overo studio” (c. 70r).
ORTO (noun): vegetable garden. “Colui che haverà la parte di sopra goderà l’orto” (c. 68r).
PARAPETTO (noun): parapet. “Parapetto del terrazzo” (c. 50r).
PAVIGLIONE (noun): pavilion. Also spelled ‘padiglione.’ “Sarà uno paviglione ottagono” (c. 54r).
POZZO (noun): well. “Il pozzo sarà nella strada commune a più persone” (c. 68r).
RIDOTTO (noun): dwelling, cottage. “El quale sara necessari havergli un poco de ridotto” (c. 3r). Synonym: “raddotto.” When used as an adjective the meaning is ‘reduced’.
RIETRO CAMERA (noun): rear room. Usually it is part of an apartment made of “anticamera, camera, rietro camera et camerino” (c. 90r).
SALA (noun): hall, main room of the house, usually reserved for the most public functions. Larger dwellings had several halls. “Nel mezzo si trova una gran sala di otto faccie” (c. 57r).
SCALA A RITORNO: a straight stairway. “Per la scala a ritorno” (c. 35r).
SALOTTO (noun): drawing room. “Vi è un salotto quadrato” (c. 65r).
SALVA ROBA (noun): storage rooom. “Sopra la capella vi è una slava roba da mobili” (c. 22r).
SPORTO (noun): architectural element projecting out from a wall. Serlio uses metaphorically as a measure of the projection of an architectural element. “Sporto della cornice di drento” (c. 54r).
TERRAZZO (noun): terrace – accessible to people – or flat roof, usually not covered. “Di pietre piane si copriranno et ben comesse con bon cimento serviranno per terrazzo” (c. 42r).
TINELLO (noun): in a palace, the dining room for courtesans or servants. “Sopra la cucina vi è il tinello pei gentiluomini” (c. 22r).
TRIBUNA (noun): tribune, stand, pavilion. “Questa trobuna overo paviglione per esser di otto lati” (c. 54r).
VESTIBOLO (noun): vestibule. A filter space between outside and more rooms inside. Sometimes a corridor, occasionally located between the entrance and the hall, where the main staircase is usually located. “A l’entrar di essa casa si trova un grande vestibolo” (c. 14r).