Let’s face it: unless you’re a geologist, rock names are nowhere near the top of your Italian vocabulary list.
But then it happens. You’re strolling through a charming cobblestone piazza or hiking a rugged mountain trail and wonder, “What is a rock called in Italian?” The problem is, there’s no single word for rock, so whether you’re admiring a majestic massiccio or dealing with a microscopic sassolino, there’s a specific word to learn for every size of rock.
In this post, we’ll explore the essential Italian vocabulary for rocks, ranked by size, so you’ll always know exactly what you’re looking at!
Small rocks in Italian
Let’s start at the smallest end of the spectrum. In this group, I’ve included the rocks that crunch satisfyingly under our tires or, more annoyingly, get stuck in our shoes.
1. Sabbia (Sand)
The finest of the group! Whether it’s those beautiful white beaches of Sardinia or the golden dunes of Sicily, sabbia is an essential word for an Italian summer.
Lungo questo tratto di costa ci sono tante spiagge di sabbia finissima.
Along this stretch of coast, there are many beaches with very fine sand.
Just like in English, sabbia is also a color. For instance, you might buy un abito color sabbia(a sand-colored dress). It’s also used in the idiom nascondere la testa sotto la sabbia(lit. “to hide one’s head under the sand”), meaning to avoid facing a problem.
2. Ghiaia (Gravel)
Ghiaia is the “crunchy” rock resulting from naturally fragmented stones. It’s typically found in manicured gardens, parks, or on country roads, like the famous strade bianche (white roads) in Tuscany’s Val d’Orcia.
Nella casa nuova c’è un bel viale d’ingresso in ghiaia.
In the new house, there’s a lovely gravel driveway.
You might also hear the diminutive ghiaietta, which we sometimes use to refer to cat litter. The technical term is lettiera, but ghiaietta works because those small granules look just like miniature gravel.
3. Pietrisco (Crushed stone)
The word pietrisco comes from pietra (stone) and refers to a collection of stones that have been crushed, leaving them with angular, sharp edges that allow the rocks to “lock” together tightly. This makes it a great material for construction and a common choice for railway beds, where the stones help stabilize the tracks.
Hanno ricoperto il sentiero con del pietrisco per evitare che diventi fangoso.
They covered the path with crushed stone to prevent it from becoming muddy.
4. Ciottoli (Pebbles)
Ciottoli are smooth, rounded stones formed by the constant rubbing of water in rivers or at sea. You can see them in nature (una spiaggia di ciottoli—a pebble beach) or in many historic villages, where these rounded stones are used for paving, creating a charming (though a little bumpy!) surface.
Come fai a camminare sui ciottoli con quei tacchi?
How are you managing to walk on these pebbles in those heels?
If you see a street paved specifically with these stones, the pavement itself is called an acciottolato. And if you want to describe the street using an adjective, you can call it a strada acciottolata (a pebbled street).
5. Sampietrini (The Roman cobblestones)
If you’ve ever walked through the historic center of Rome, you’ve almost certainly stepped on a sampietrino (plural: sampietrini). These are small, dark blocks of volcanic rock used to pave many of the city’s streets and squares.
I sampietrini sono bellissimi, ma molto scivolosi quando piove.
The sampietrini are beautiful, but very slippery when it rains.
The name sampietrini literally translates to “Little St. Peters.” It is said that they’re named after St. Peter’s Square, where they were first laid in the 16th century to make it easier for carriages to pass. While they are a symbol of Rome, nowadays you’ll find sampietrini in many historic centers across Italy.
6. Sassolino (Little stone)
The word sassolino is the diminutive form ofsasso(stone) and literally means “little stone.” We use this word whenever we want to talk about small stones in nature, on paths, or even on the beach. It’s also the perfect word for those annoying little pebbles that sneak into our shoes transforming a scenic hike into a walk over broken glass.
Aspetta, mi è entrato un sassolino nella scarpa. Non riesco a camminare!
Hold on, a little stone got in my shoe. I can’t walk!
You’ll also hear the expression togliersi un sassolino dalla scarpa, (lit. “to take a little stone out of your shoe”), which means to finally say something that has been bothering you for a long time. You know the relief of finally removing that sharp pebble that’s been stabbing your foot for miles? That’s exactly how it feels to finally togliersi un sassolino dalla scarpa!
And if you want to hear this word in action, there’s a lovely 1940s swing hit by Natalino Otto titled “Ho un sassolino nella scarpa“—give it a listen here to practice your pronunciation!
Medium-sized rocks in Italian
These are the rocks you can hold in your hand or admire in the walls of a rustic farmhouse. In everyday conversation, we often use these words interchangeably, but there are some subtle differences.
7. Sasso (Stone, rock)
Sasso is the most common, everyday term for a piece of rock.
I bambini si divertono a lanciare i sassi nel fiume.
The kids enjoy throwing stones into the river.
While sasso usually describes a rock you can pick up and toss, the word is also used to name some of Italy’s most majestic mountains, conveying the sense of a solid, massive rock formation. Examples include the Gran Sasso in the Apennines (lit. “Great Stone”), and iconic Dolomite. peaks like Sasso Lungo (lit. “Long Stone”) and Sasso Piatto (lit. “Flat Stone”).
Finally, because stones are famously hard, cold, and unmoving, sasso is used figuratively in a number of Italian idioms, such as:
- Restare di sasso (lit. “to be left of stone”), meaning to be petrified or speechless with amazement, shock, or fear.
Quando è arrivato il conto, siamo rimasti di sasso… troppo caro!
When the bill arrived at the restaurant, we were stunned!
- Essere duro come un sasso(lit. “to be as hard as a stone”), used to describe something physically hard or someone who is insensitive.
Questo pane è duro come un sasso, non riesco nemmeno a tagliarlo.
This bread is as hard as a stone, I cannot even cut it.
- Dormire come un sasso(lit. “to sleep like a stone”), meaning to sleep very deeply, without moving an inch.
Ero così stanca che ho dormito come un sasso tutta la notte.
I was so tired that I slept like a stone all night.
8. Pietra (Stone, rock)
While often interchangeable with sasso, pietra usually sounds more refined and “noble.” We mainly use it in contexts like architecture, art, and jewelry. For example, we call a diamond una pietra preziosa (a precious stone), not un sasso prezioso (that would make a girl’s best friend sound like something you found in the garden!).
Quest’antica casa colonica è stata costruita interamente in pietra.
This ancient farmhouse was built entirely of stone.
Italy is famous for specific types of pietra that define the “look” of its cities, like the honey-colored pietra leccese used in the Baroque buildings of Lecce, or the elegant pietra serena, the grey sandstone used throughout Renaissance Florence. And if you hear un blocco di pietra (a stone block), that’s a massive, pristine block of stone, just like the one Michelangelo used to carve his David!
Pietra, too, forms idioms we use in everyday conversation. For example:
- Avere un cuore di pietra(lit. “to have a heart of stone”), meaning to be cold or lacking empathy.
Fai il duro, ma io so che non hai davvero un cuore di pietra.
You act tough, but I know you don’t really have a heart of stone.
- Metterci una pietra sopra(lit. “to put a stone over it”), which is the Italian way of saying “to bury the hatchet.”
Basta litigare, mettiamoci una pietra sopra, ok?
Enough fighting, let’s put it behind us, okay?
- Chi è senza peccato scagli la prima pietra (lit. “He who is without sin, cast the first stone”), a direct reference to the Bible, suggesting we shouldn’t be so quick to judge others when we aren’t perfect ourselves.
Large rocks in Italian
We’ve covered the pebbles in your shoe and the stones in the walls, but what about the rocks that are way too big to move? Let’s explore the Italian terms for the giants.
9. Roccia (Rock)
While words like sasso or pietra refer to individual stones, roccia is the solid rock that makes up a mountain or a cliff face. We might skip a sasso across a lake, but we need a harness and ropes to scale roccia.
Per arrivare all’hotel, dobbiamo attraversare una galleria scavata nella roccia.
To reach the hotel, we need to go through a tunnel carved into the rock.
Non avevo mai provato a scalare una parete di roccia prima di questo viaggio!
I had never tried climbing a rock face before this trip!
Also, just like in English, calling someone a “rock” is a super compliment: it implies they are unshakeable, having both physical health and deep emotional resilience. A typical phrase is:
Mio nonno ha 90 anni ed è ancora una roccia!
My grandfather is 90 years old and he’s still as solid as a rock!
10. Masso (Boulder)
Amassois a massive, heavy rock that has typically detached from a mountain or a cliff. In other words, you would need some seriously heavy machinery to move amasso.
Un enorme masso è caduto sulla strada, bloccando il traffico per ore.
A huge boulder fell onto the road, blocking traffic for hours.
11. Macigno (Boulder)
A macigno is even more imposing than a masso. While they are technically both boulders, macigno suggests something incredibly heavy, immovable. However, we use this word most frequently in a metaphorical sense to describe something that feels like a heavy burden. There are two common expressions with this word:
- Togliersi un macigno dal cuore: Lit. “to take a boulder off one’s heart.” Remember the sassolino we saw earlier? Well, while that is a minor annoyance, a macigno is a massive pressure.
Si è tolto un macigno dal cuore raccontando la verità ai suoi genitori.
He took a huge weight off his chest by telling the truth to his parents.
- Pesare come un macigno: Lit. “to weigh like a boulder.” We use this to describe things that feel incredibly serious.
Dopo quella brutta discussione, il silenzio tra di loro pesa come un macigno.
After that argument, the silence between them is really heavy.
Giant rock formations in Italian
12. Scoglio(Sea rock)
Unlike a stone that can be found anywhere, a scoglio belongs to the water. It’s a large mass of rock that either sits submerged or juts out from the sea. If you are at a rocky beach where people are sunbathing on the stone or diving into the waves, you are standing on gli scogli. And when these rocks form a long rocky wall bordering the sea, that’s una scogliera (a sea cliff).
Adoro sedermi tra gli scogli a guardare il tramonto.
I love sitting among the rocks watching the sunset.
And I can’t talk about the scoglio without mentioning one of Italy’s most famous pasta dishes: spaghetti allo scoglio! It literally translates to “spaghetti of the sea rock,” and is a staple of traditional coastal cooking—yum!
La prima cosa che faccio quando arrivo al mare è mangiarmi un bel piatto di spaghetti allo scoglio!
The first thing I do when I get to the seaside is eat a nice plate of seafood spaghetti!
Additionally, in everyday Italian, scoglio is often used metaphorically to describe a particularly difficult obstacle that stands in our way. For instance:
Gli esami di chimica sono il mio scoglio più grande all’università.
Chemistry exams are the biggest challenge for me at university.
13. Faraglione (Sea stack)
A faraglione is a massive, vertical rock formation standing in the sea, usually near the coast.
Ieri abbiamo fatto un giro in barca per vedere i faraglioni da vicino.
Yesterday we took a boat trip to admire the sea stacks up close.
In Italy, the most famous sea stacks are the Faraglioni di Capri, but some of the most legendary ones are in Sicily, near Aci Trezza. Here, based on Homer’s Odyssey, the one-eyed giant Polyphemus was so enraged by Ulysses’ escape, that he ripped massive chunks of rock from the earth and hurled them into the sea, hoping to crush his boat. The rocks missed the target, but they remained in the water, and today they form the Faraglioni dei Ciclopi (The Rocks of the Cyclops).
14. Falesia (Cliff)
This is a favorite for nature lovers and adrenaline seekers. A falesia is a dramatic, vertical rock wall found either by the sea or in the mountains, and because these walls are so steep and solid, they are the perfect ‘gyms’ for rock climbers.
Andiamo in falesia sabato? Ho voglia di arrampicare!
Are we going to the climbing crag on Saturday? I feel like climbing!
Valentina Nicastro is a travel writer in love with her home country, Italy. Having travelled widely around the globe, she realised there was more to explore closer to home and decided to put the passport aside for a while. When she is not immersed in documenting Italy, you’ll find her donning her communication consultant hat, weaving words as a content writer and bridging linguistic divides as a translator.
