Does anyone know  if you have to

Well ................................................. The answer is probably Yes.  But it probably varies from Comune to ComuneIf the staircase is out of sight from the road/neighbours, you could probably do it yourself, [but this could create problems when it comes to selling the property in the future]I'd use a local builder and geometra, as they will know how to 'manage the Comune'. Keep the locals happy and most problems disapper

Thanks for that Alan had a feeling that may be the case.