On the first floor all Italian windows are barred. By convention somehow, theft is on the brain. Virtually all windows high & low have louvered shutters meant to be opened and shut, called 'persiane' because apparently borrowed from Persia. There is another set of solid interior shutters called 'scuri' = 'darks', to create total darkness for better sleeping. A neighbor was horrified when Brenda left an upstairs window wide open on a summer night---thieves, especially gypsies, are expected to find such an opening. Then there are curtains. This whole window treatment has a long tradition. Italians fight mosquitoes with netting & incense. Screens have not been used much, but more now. Every window has a solid exterior sill.