Zielona Italia review, Marvipol

Two weeks ago we wrote about the Szamoty district in Ursus and its revitalization. Today we'd like to focus on a residential complex located nearby, on the other side of the Ursus Północny station — Zielona Italia, built by Marvipol, comprising roughly 800 apartments.

The architecture studio A4 designed the project. Each section is named after an Italian region: Sicilia, Calabria, Toscana, Lombardia, Venezia, Piemonte, and Sardegna.

Unfortunately, we couldn't find any information about this project on the developer's website, although we consider it one of the most interesting complexes Marvipol has built. Construction ran alongside the building of the bypass road connecting Włochy with Bemowo, and lasted from January 2011 to mid-2014, when the complex was put into use. All the buildings went up roughly simultaneously.

Architecture and layout

The complex consists of seven sections, each named after an Italian region, and they all differ in height.

The three large buildings closer to Aleja 4 Czerwca have 5–7 floors. Here you'll find cozy courtyards with already-mature trees and, in some spots, large private gardens. Of these three, only the middle one has a regular rectangular shape — the other two look somewhat unusual. The one closer to the road resembles the shape of a ping-pong paddle, and the last one has an angled wall.

Overall, though, walking through here feels like being in a cozy place. The six-lane road is quite close, but thanks to noise barriers it was barely noticeable during our visit.

The other part of the complex consists of four smaller buildings, styled after the private housing of the Włochy district, with 2–4 floors. They're a kind of blend between the first, more typical apartment buildings, and private houses.

Their roofs are more reminiscent of the old town of Dubrovnik than of Italian cities — the pink tiles and large terraces bring exactly that to mind.

This variation in height visually splits the complex into two zones — a denser, taller one and a more intimate, low-rise one. In our view, that's a successful architectural decision.

Infrastructure

What stands out to me about this complex is how much land the developer devoted to recreational and sports infrastructure.

There are three playgrounds: one by the lake, which was also artificially created by the developer, and two more along the large surface parking lot.

On the roof of the parking structure is, arguably, the most interesting part of the complex's infrastructure. There's a basketball court that flows into a playground, then a green area, a football pitch, outdoor exercise equipment, another playground, and after that, two tennis courts.

Honestly, it seems like the recreational infrastructure alone takes up at least twice as much space as the buildings themselves — and it's not just lawn, trees, and paths, but a beautifully planned area for rest and active leisure, designed by both the architects and the developer.

The complex also has a central square with a large clock and a fountain. There's a sense of the slow Italian way of life here, and sitting on one of the benches, time seems to stand still.

Parking

There are two roads on the property leading to the parking area, with roughly 140–150 parking spaces along each.

In our view, they don't spoil the overall impression of the project, since a significant part of the grounds remains green and pedestrian-oriented.

Transport

As for transport, the best option is the PKP Ursus Północny station. From there, it takes about 15 minutes by train to reach central Warsaw, depending on the connection.

The bus runs slower and loses out to the train in terms of time. A car is also a decent option, as long as you don't get caught in the traffic jams that occasionally occur on the way out of the district.

Apartment layouts

The one drawback of the complex, I'd say, is the apartment layouts.

Despite the incredible terraces some apartments have, you occasionally come across fairly odd decisions regarding the organization of the interior space.

For example, one-bedroom apartments may have a separate walk-in closet alongside a bedroom so small it's hard to even fit a double bed properly. Another example is a separate kitchen of 8–10 m² next to the living room — a solution that can feel a bit odd today.

For larger apartments, though, a separate kitchen makes much more sense. For instance, this apartment has a fairly logical layout even by today's standards.

That said, the layout standard that's become common in recent years — where a two-bedroom apartment has a large kitchen-living room combo — still feels more functional to us.

A striking example of a complicated layout is this apartment: 77 m² with a single main bedroom, a walk-in closet, and an en-suite bathroom. There's also a roughly 10 m² hallway and yet another bathroom under 2 m².

Of course, the apartment has an incredibly cozy terrace of nearly 27 m², where in summer you'd want to spend whole days with a book or tending to flowers.

But does that terrace make up for the less-than-optimal layout of the apartment itself? That's genuinely up for debate.

And that brings us naturally from layouts to prices.

Prices

According to the real estate price registry, apartment sale prices range from 10,000 to 17,000 zł per square meter — a very wide spread that's hard to explain by floor area alone.

In our view, depending on the layout, condition, and other factors, a price of 13,000–14,000 zł/m² could be justified for standard apartments, and 15,000–16,000 zł/m² for apartments with large terraces.

If the layouts were more functional, we think apartments with large terraces could fetch even more — around 17,000–18,000 zł/m².

At the same time, prices for specific apartments can vary significantly depending on floor, renovation condition, orientation, view, terrace size, and the layout itself.

[Table of RCN transactions here]

Zielona Italia or Szamoty?

If you compare Zielona Italia to the newer complexes in Szamoty, a lot depends on what matters most to you.

If you value the quality of the living environment itself — lots of greenery, strong sports and children's infrastructure — and are willing to accept an older building and sometimes less functional layouts, Zielona Italia could be an interesting choice.

The newer Szamoty complexes, for their part, have the advantage of newer construction, more modern layouts, and a wider selection of new apartments.

It's also worth noting that Zielona Italia's infrastructure gives the complex a certain intimacy, and it may be especially appealing to families with children who lead an active lifestyle.

Pros and cons