Where we work

Bioclimatic Pergolas on the Lazio Coast: Terracina to Gaeta

Michelessi, marble and stone specialists in Aprilia since 1976, sells and installs Gibus, KE Outdoor Design and Pratic pergolas, awnings and enclosures on the Lazio coast, from Terracina to Formia. On the coast wind, salt air, landscape protection and a house left empty in winter matter: we deal with them in the free survey and the 3D design, together with the stone kitchen and the paving.

Pergolas on the Lazio coast: from Terracina to Formia

Michelessi, marble and stone specialists in Aprilia since 1976, sells and installs bioclimatic pergolas, retractable-fabric pergolas, awnings and enclosures by the Italian manufacturers Gibus, KE Outdoor Design and Pratic along the Lazio coast south of Rome: Terracina, Sabaudia, San Felice Circeo, Fondi, Sperlonga, Gaeta and Formia. Survey and 3D design start from our showroom on the Via Pontina at km 45.350; installation is by our own team, and the method is explained in Bespoke pergolas: survey, 3D design and installation.

A bioclimatic pergola (louvred, or louvered in US spelling) is an aluminium structure with a roof of adjustable blades that regulate light, air and shelter from rain. The coast asks more of it than a city terrace does: sea wind and salt air, landscape protection, a house left empty for months and, for a business, a concession to respect. This page is for owners of seaside houses, nearby or abroad; we work in English and Italian. The department is on Bioclimatic pergolas, awnings and enclosures; Bioclimatic pergola: what it is and how it works explains the technology.

Where we work: seven coastal towns and what we check in each

We work in seven towns, from Terracina to the Gulf of Gaeta, all south of Aprilia. The survey is free; what we check changes with any landscape protection, the Municipality and the type of house, and we check plot by plot.

Town	What we check before designing
Terracina	coastal strip and any landscape protection, municipal rules, sea wind, beach clubs on the state-owned shoreline
Sabaudia	any landscape protection, national park rules where the house lies inside the boundary, rules of the residential complex
San Felice Circeo	any landscape protection, national park where the house lies inside the boundary, wind on the promontory
Fondi	municipal rules, distances from boundaries, orientation to sun and wind
Sperlonga	any old-town and coastal protection, harmony with the building's lines, condominium
Gaeta	any landscape protection, old town, municipal rules, public land for dehors
Formia	municipal rules, any landscape protection, condominium, public land for dehors

Many seaside homes are in a condominium or a residential complex with its own rules on colours, projections and types of structure: we read them before the quotation, because they may be stricter than the municipal ones.

A pergola for a holiday home by the sea: what to plan for

A pergola for a holiday home has to work even when nobody is there: wind and rain sensors that close the louvres by themselves, remote controls and materials chosen for sun and salt air.

Sensors and controls: the three brands declare wind and rain sensors on their bioclimatic models (KE on the Kedry Plus), to be planned in the design; for Gibus there is the Gibus Connect app. They are a help, not a guarantee: if the house stays empty, louvres and awnings are left closed.
Orientation: by the sea the afternoon sun and the wind can come from different sides of the house. During the survey we look at where they come from, to decide the orientation of the louvres, the sides to close with zip screens or glass and the position of the posts.
A roof that produces energy: for a cover with integrated photovoltaic modules, see Photovoltaic pergolas.
Tax deduction: solar-shading products can qualify for the deduction also for homes other than the main residence, at a different rate and with precise requirements; not automatic, to be checked with your accountant. Rates and deadlines, with the date, are in the guide Tax deductions for awnings and pergolas in Italy.

What the price depends on is explained, without figures, in How much does a bioclimatic pergola cost.

Wind and salt air on the coast: what the manufacturers declare

On the coast, look at a pergola's wind-resistance class under UNI EN 13561, the paint finish, the fixings and the sensors that close the louvres. We ask every manufacturer for these data; here is what matters by the sea, while the full comparison is in Gibus vs KE vs Pratic: how to choose.

Gibus: aluminium painted in Qualicoat plants with Seaside pretreatment; sun, rain and wind sensors; Click Zip screens with the Mag Lock magnetic lock. The wind class of the bioclimatic models is not published online: we ask the manufacturer for it.
KE Outdoor Design: Kedry Skylife, Kedry Prime, Kedry Plus, Keplan, Isola 2, Gennius Vega and Xtesa: class 6 declared; Kedry Neos class 5; Hydra class 3. The Kedry Plus has wind, snow and rain sensors; Isola 2 has powder-coated profiles, Keplan and Isola 2 concealed stainless-steel screws; the enclosures are Vertika and Line Glass.
Pratic: painted in-house with QUALICOAT Seaside pretreatment and stainless-steel components; rain, snow and wind sensors on the bioclimatic models; zip screens and Slide Glass 60 glazing. The wind class is not published online: we ask the manufacturer for it.

A KE reference: a seafront house in the province of Latina where a Kedry Prime and a Qubica Plumb cassette awning replaced four galvanised-iron sails torn by the wind (another dealer's work, not ours).

Cleaning matters too: follow the model's instructions, in general lukewarm water and neutral soap, never a high-pressure washer, which spoils the paint. Details in Bioclimatic pergola maintenance: wind, snow and winter.

Permits and landscape protection on the Lazio coast: Circeo, Sabaudia, Gaeta and Sperlonga

In many cases a bioclimatic or fabric pergola attached or annexed to the house, with a movable roof, falls under free building work (edilizia libera: article 6, letter b-ter, DPR 380/2001, text on Normattiva). On the coast, though, landscape protection, the Municipality and the condominium also count, whoever the owner is and wherever they live. We tell you at the design stage, before you order.

Landscape: free building work does not cancel landscape protection. Where the house lies in a protected area, as can happen at the Circeo, in Sabaudia, Gaeta and Sperlonga, the landscape authorisation is as a rule required even for work that is free under building law; sun awnings on a private home are among the excluded works (DPR 31/2017, item A.22), while a pergola has no entry of its own.
Municipality: article 6 leaves municipal planning instruments in force and the building regulations may set sizes, distances and materials: in Terracina, Fondi, Gaeta or Formia we ask the municipal one-stop office for the rule.
Condominium and neighbours: in a condominium the administrator must be told, and on common parts a resolution is as a rule needed; distances from boundaries and windows still apply.

The full conditions are in Permits for pergolas in Italy and in Pergola on a condominium terrace; the difference between a pergola, a pergotenda, a canopy, a gazebo and a veranda is in Bioclimatic pergola or pergotenda: differences. Movable, transparent zip screens and glass are wind protection (pergola enclosures), but it depends on the design and we check it before ordering them.

Pergolas for beach clubs, restaurants and hotels on the coast

For a beach club, a restaurant or a hotel the suitable pergola is a removable or seasonal structure, designed within the venue's concession and permits. On the beach every structure must be covered by the state-property concession and the building and landscape permits; on public land, such as a dehors (outdoor seating area) on the promenade, an occupation concession is needed as well.

For landscape purposes the DPR 31/2017 excludes from authorisation outdoor installations serving businesses made of easily removable elements, such as awnings, platforms and windbreak screens without permanent anchoring to the ground (item A.17). For the dehors of Gaeta, Sperlonga and Formia, and for the building law of beach clubs, the sector rules and the local regulations apply: we ask the one-stop office for the rule before designing. The general case is in Pergolas for restaurants, hotels and beach clubs.

Awnings and zip screens by the sea

By the sea, choose an awning that retracts completely, cassette or drop, with a finish for salt air, stainless-steel fixings and a wind sensor. The three brands offer folding-arm awnings with cassette, drop awnings and vertical screens to close the sides: Click Zip by Gibus and T-Zone by Pratic with zip guides, Vertika drop screens by KE. The families are in Folding-arm, drop and cassette awnings.

Outdoor kitchen, paving and pool under the same pergola

We are stone specialists who install pergolas: the pergola is drawn in the same design as the stone outdoor kitchen, the paving and, if there is one, the pool, and the same team installs it. Our outdoor kitchens have a structure in firebrick stone, steel or treated wood and a worktop in granite, quartzite, sintered stone or marble; barbecues and ovens are in firebrick stone. The stone paving has falls and drains coordinated with the pergola's downpipes, and by the sea the finish is chosen for sand and salt air as well.

The project is explained in Outdoor kitchen under a pergola; the materials are in outdoor kitchens, barbecues and ovens in firebrick stone, paving and pools. The kitchen under the pergola is outdoor furniture: if the pergola is closed on every side and fitted with fixed services, we ask the Municipality for its opinion.

The survey and the quotation are free: to book one, contact Michelessi SRL, Via Pontina km 45.350, Aprilia (Latina); phone and WhatsApp +39 06 9275383.

Other areas we cover

Pergolas in Rome: bioclimatic pergolas, awnings and outdoor kitchens
Pergolas in Latina and Cisterna: bioclimatic pergolas and awnings
Pergolas in Aprilia, Pomezia and Ardea: sales and fitting along the Pontina
Pergolas in Anzio and Nettuno: bioclimatic pergolas and awnings
Pergolas in the Castelli Romani: fitting and quotation
Pergolas in Frosinone and its province: snow and winter

More from the pergolas department

Frequently asked questions

Do you install pergolas in Terracina, Sabaudia, the Circeo, Sperlonga, Gaeta and Formia?

Yes. From Aprilia, on the Via Pontina at km 45.350, we cover the Pontine coast and the Gulf: Terracina, Sabaudia, San Felice Circeo, Fondi, Sperlonga, Gaeta and Formia. The survey and the quotation are free; then our technical office draws the pergola in 3D together with the outdoor kitchen and the paving, and our own team installs it.

Do I need a permit for a pergola at my house by the sea?

It depends on the design and the Municipality. In many cases a pergola attached or annexed to the house, with a movable roof, falls under free building work (article 6, letter b-ter, DPR 380/2001), but on the coast landscape protection, municipal rules and the condominium still apply. We check it during the survey and tell you at the design stage, before you order; the full conditions are in our guide to permits.

My house is in a protected landscape area, as at the Circeo: what changes?

Free building work does not cancel landscape protection: in a protected area the landscape authorisation, ordinary or simplified, is as a rule required even for work that is free under building law. Sun awnings on a private home are among the excluded works; a pergola has no entry of its own. We check the plot and the Municipality during the survey and tell you the route before you order.

Will a pergola stand up to sea wind and salt air?

It depends on the model and the installation. We look at the wind-resistance class (UNI EN 13561; for KE: Kedry Skylife, Kedry Prime, Kedry Plus, Keplan, Isola 2, Gennius Vega and Xtesa: class 6 declared; Kedry Neos class 5; Hydra class 3), the paint finish with Seaside pretreatment, stainless-steel fixings and the sensors that close the louvres. For the Gibus bioclimatic models and the Pratic pergolas the classes are not stated on the web pages: we ask the manufacturer.

What happens to the pergola when the house is empty in winter?

If the design includes wind and rain sensors, the louvres close by themselves in bad weather: a help, not a guarantee. Before leaving the house empty it is advisable to close louvres and awnings, keeping folding-arm awnings retracted in their cassette. Before the season, have motors, seals and sensors checked and clean the structure with lukewarm water and neutral soap, as the model's instructions indicate.

Can I claim a tax deduction for a pergola on a second home?

It may qualify, but it is not automatic. Solar-shading products can receive the tax deduction also for homes other than the main residence, at a different rate and with precise requirements that a qualified technician and your accountant check. Rates, requirements and deadlines, with the date, are in our guide to the deductions.

Can I put a pergola in a beach club?

Yes, if the structure is covered by the state-property concession and by the building and landscape permits of the club, and is removable or seasonal. For landscape purposes easily removable elements, such as awnings, platforms and light covers without permanent anchoring to the ground, are among the installations excluded from authorisation (DPR 31/2017, item A.17). We always start from the concession.

In a seaside residence or condominium, do I need the other owners' consent?

On a terrace you own you do not need an assembly vote, but the administrator must be told beforehand (article 1122 of the Civil Code) and you may not harm the building's appearance, stability or safety. If the pergola involves common parts, such as the roof terrace or the facade, a resolution is as a rule needed. The rules of the condominium or the complex may be stricter: we read them before the quotation.

Can the pergola be closed with glass walls or zip screens?

Yes, with one condition: it depends on the design and we check it for you. Movable zip screens and sliding glass are protection from wind and rain while the space stays open; if every side is closed permanently, the space changes nature and must be checked with the Municipality. We assess it in the design, before ordering the enclosures.

Can I have a stone outdoor kitchen under the pergola?

Yes. We make outdoor kitchens with a structure in firebrick stone, steel or treated wood and a worktop in granite, quartzite, sintered stone or marble, and we design them together with the pergola and the paving. If the pergola is closed on every side and fitted with fixed services, we ask the Municipality for its opinion.

For a terrace by the sea, is a pergola or a sun awning better?

It depends on how much shade and shelter you want and how far the structure can project. A cassette or drop awning retracts completely and is lighter; a bioclimatic pergola regulates light and air with its louvres and also shelters from rain. The two can also be combined, for example with an awning on the side most exposed to the sun. We assess it during the survey, on the 3D drawing.

How much does a pergola for a seaside house cost?

We give no figures outside the survey, because the price depends on dimensions, model, enclosures, accessories, fixings, installation and site conditions. After the free survey we send a written quotation built on the 3D design. Always compare two quotations on the same drawing; what drives the price is explained in our guide.

Is Gibus, KE or Pratic better for a house by the sea?

No single brand suits every house: it depends on the building's design, the dimensions, the enclosures you want and the exposure to wind. We sell and install all three and show them side by side in the 3D design, with the data each manufacturer declares, including wind class, paint finish and sensors.