As a rule yes: the 300-metre strip from the shoreline is protected by law (Legislative Decree 42/2004, art. 142), except some areas already urbanised on 6 September 1985, such as zones A and B. Extending is possible, but landscape authorisation is needed first. Regularising afterwards is generally not: authorisation cannot be granted retroactively (art. 146), apart from the limited cases of art. 167: works creating no new surfaces or volumes, different materials, and maintenance. Since 2024, art. 36-bis of Presidential Decree 380/2001 (Salva Casa) allows a conformity assessment for partial deviations and essential variations, even where new surfaces or volumes were created, with a binding opinion from the Soprintendenza, the heritage authority, on landscape compatibility. The checks are in our guide to buying a coastal home in Italy.
