Italy Callouts in CS2

Italy is one of the oldest hostage-rescue maps in Counter-Strike.

Its narrow streets, market stalls, stone buildings, wine cellar and residential interiors create a recognizable Mediterranean setting. Chickens, radio music and the crowded market have also become part of the map’s identity.

Unlike the bomb-defusal maps used in Premier, Italy is built around rescuing hostages.

The Terrorists begin close to the hostages and defend the deeper parts of the village. The Counter-Terrorists must enter through several narrow routes, secure a hostage and carry them back to a rescue zone.

The CS2 version retains the classic identity of Italy while introducing improved lighting, new environmental detail and additional connections between important areas.

This guide covers Italy’s history, essential callouts, hostage locations, utility, team strategies and the common mistakes that decide most rounds.

The History of Italy

Italy was created by Glen “glenC” Cooper, with textures produced by Jaison “DigiChaos” Green.

The two creators were members of a Counter-Strike clan called HOTSHEEP. The original version was developed during the early community-driven period of the game.

Italy entered Counter-Strike with Beta 6.5 on June 8, 2000.

Its combination of narrow European streets and a hostage-rescue objective quickly made it one of the most memorable maps of the early Counter-Strike era.

Italy later appeared in:

• Counter-Strike 1.6
• Counter-Strike: Condition Zero
• Counter-Strike: Source
• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
• Counter-Strike 2

Different developers updated the environment and individual routes over time, but the map’s central concept remained recognizable.

Italy in Counter-Strike 2

Italy entered the CS2 Limited Test in August 2023.

Valve substantially updated the visuals using Source 2. The new version includes brighter lighting, more detailed buildings, improved materials and a more convincing Mediterranean environment.

The CS2 remake also introduced gameplay changes.

New connections were added around Middle, Long Hall and the residential areas. These routes reduce some of the isolation found in older versions and provide the Counter-Terrorists with more opportunities to split the defense.

Players returning from CS should therefore avoid relying completely on old route knowledge or timings.

Is Italy in the CS2 Map Pool?

Italy is an official CS2 hostage-rescue map.

It belongs to the Hostage Group and is available through supported matchmaking modes. However, it is not part of Premier or the Active Duty pool.

Italy is also not a standard map at professional tier-one tournaments.

This means the map can have its own Competitive ranking but does not normally influence professional map vetoes or Winio predictions for Active Duty events.

How Hostage Rescue Works

Italy does not contain bombsites.

Two hostages are located in the deeper T-controlled part of the map. The Counter-Terrorists need to reach one of them, complete the pickup interaction and carry the hostage to a rescue zone.

Successfully rescuing the first hostage wins the round for the CT side.

Hostage Pickup

Securing a hostage normally takes approximately four seconds.

A Rescue Kit reduces this time to approximately one second. The interaction creates a sound that nearby Terrorists can hear.

At least one CT player in the objective group should therefore carry a kit.

Carrying the Hostage

The player carrying the hostage moves more slowly.

This creates a second stage of the round. Reaching the hostage is not enough because the Counter-Terrorists must also protect the carrier during the return journey.

If the carrier is eliminated, another CT can recover the hostage and continue toward the rescue zone.

Other Win Conditions

Either team can win by eliminating every opponent.

The Terrorists also win if the round timer expires before the CT side completes a rescue.

Time is therefore one of the most important defensive resources on Italy.

Hostage Locations on Italy

The two primary hostage areas are:

• Wine Cellar
• T House

Both locations are relatively deep inside the map and offer several defensive positions.

Wine Cellar Hostage

One hostage is held inside the Wine Cellar area.

The room can be approached through the lower and upper sections, with connections toward Middle and Long Hall.

Its enclosed geometry favors defenders using shotguns, SMGs or rifles from close angles.

T House Hostage

The second hostage is located upstairs inside T House.

Counter-Terrorists need to clear the surrounding residential rooms, stairs, windows and connecting corridors before beginning the rescue.

The return route can be dangerous because the hostage carrier must move through areas the Terrorists may retake.

Italy CT-Side Callouts

The Counter-Terrorists begin in the lower part of the map.

The essential CT-side callouts include:

• CT Spawn
• Left Alley
• Right Alley
• Left Street
• Right Street
• Stairs
• Below Stairs
• Stairs Room
• Market Entrance
• Apartments Entrance
• Rescue Zone

Market Callouts on Italy

Market is one of the central control areas on Italy.

Its main callouts include:

• Market
• Market Entrance
• Fountain
• Trash
• Trash Corner
• Street
• Middle
• Connector
• Long Hall

Italy Residential Callouts

The residential side includes Apartments, T House and several elevated routes.

The essential callouts are:

• Apartments
• Apartment Stairs
• Balcony
• Window
• Bedroom
• Front Door
• T House
• T Spawn
• T Stairs
• Upper
• Roof

Wine Cellar Callouts

Wine Cellar is one of the map’s most important objective areas.

The essential callouts include:

• Wine Cellar
• Upper Cellar
• Lower Cellar
• Cellar Stairs
• Cellar Entrance
• Middle Entrance
• Long Hall Entrance
• Connector

Why Market Control Matters

Market is the strategic center of Italy.

Without Market, the Counter-Terrorists are limited to narrow attacks through the left side or Apartments. The Terrorists can predict the approach and concentrate defenders near the correct hostage.

With Market control, the CT side can:

• Pressure Wine Cellar through Middle
• Move toward Long Hall
• Attack T House through a second route
• Cut defensive rotations
• Force the Terrorists into deeper positions
• Create a fake before changing objectives
• Protect part of the hostage’s return route

The Terrorists do not always need to hold Market until the last player.

Collecting information, using utility and falling back safely can be more valuable than taking an isolated fight.

How to Play Italy on the CT Side

The Counter-Terrorists are the attacking side.

A successful round usually requires map control, coordinated room clearing and a planned escape.

Select the Target Hostage

The team should decide whether to attack Wine Cellar or T House.

The choice should depend on:

• Defensive positions
• Utility already used
• Market control
• Apartment control
• The weapons available
• The time remaining
• Which return route is safer

Changing the target late is possible, but Italy’s corridors can make a full rotation expensive.

Take Market With Utility

Market control gives the team more routes and reduces the defense’s information.

Flashes can remove players from the stalls and street, while smokes isolate longer angles. Incendiaries should clear Trash Corner and other protected positions.

Pressure Multiple Entrances

Five players entering through one narrow route give the defense easy fights.

The CT side can divide into groups attacking through:

• Market and Long Hall
• Middle and Connector
• Left Alley and Stairs
• Apartments and Front Door
• Upper and lower Wine Cellar routes

The groups should arrive close enough together to prevent the Terrorists from defeating them separately.

Buy a Rescue Kit

At least one player targeting the hostage should have a Rescue Kit.

The reduced pickup time gives the Terrorists less opportunity to rotate and interrupt the interaction.

Clear the Return Route

The route used to enter may no longer be safe.

Before picking up the hostage, teammates should check for flanks and decide which rescue path the carrier will use.

Escort the Carrier

The hostage carrier moves more slowly.

Teammates should move ahead, clear angles and watch behind the group. Leaving the carrier alone wastes the advantage created by reaching the objective.

How to Play Italy on the T Side

The Terrorists control the hostage areas and can use time as a weapon.

A good defense should delay the CT side without losing every player in the first contact.

Build the Setup Around Both Hostages

Defending only one hostage allows the Counter-Terrorists to target the other.

The Terrorists need enough information around Market, Apartments and Stairs to recognize the direction of the attack.

Contest Market Carefully

Market control provides valuable information.

A defender can use utility, take an opening duel and fall back toward Long Hall or Wine Cellar. Remaining in the same exposed position after being discovered is rarely necessary.

Use Layered Positions

The Terrorists can defend Italy in several stages:

1. Collect information near Market or Stairs.
2. Delay the connecting routes.
3. Fall back toward Wine Cellar or T House.
4. Intercept the hostage during the escape.

The team does not need to win the round at the first choke point.

Preserve Late Utility

A smoke or incendiary thrown late can prevent the CT side from reaching the hostage before time expires.

Using every grenade during the opening seconds removes this option.

Avoid Predictable Aggression

Pushing CT Spawn can surprise the opponent, but repeated aggression becomes easy to punish.

A failed push also weakens the defense around the hostages.

Intercept the Carrier

After the hostage is picked up, the defense should identify the likely rescue route.

A surviving Terrorist can move through another lane and meet the slowed carrier closer to CT Spawn.

Essential Utility on Italy

Italy’s narrow streets and rooms make utility extremely effective.

Exact lineups should be tested in the current CS2 version because the map contains new routes and updated geometry.

CT Utility

Useful Counter-Terrorist grenades include:

• Smokes for Market sightlines
• Flashes above Market
• Incendiaries for Trash Corner
• Flashes for Long Hall
• Incendiaries for Apartments
• Incendiaries for Wine Cellar corners
• Smokes isolating one Cellar entrance
• Flashes for T House
• Smokes protecting the hostage carrier
• HE grenades against grouped defenders

The team should preserve enough utility for both the hostage pickup and the escape.

T Utility

Useful Terrorist grenades include:

• Smokes blocking Market entrances
• Incendiaries for Right Alley
• Incendiaries for Stairs
• Flashes against Apartment pressure
• HE grenades for narrow CT approaches
• Late smokes around Wine Cellar
• Utility delaying Long Hall
• Flashes for an escape-route retake

The Terrorists should stagger their grenades. Several smokes thrown at the same time may delay one stage of the attack but leave the team without resources later.

Best Weapons for Italy

Italy contains mostly short and medium engagement distances.

SMGs

The MP9 and MAC-10 are effective in Market, Apartments, Wine Cellar and the narrow streets.

Their movement speed also helps during aggressive information plays and hostage escorts.

Shotguns

Shotguns are powerful inside T House, Wine Cellar and Apartment corridors.

Their limited range makes them less reliable around Market or longer street angles.

Rifles

The AK-47, M4A4 and M4A1-S remain the most flexible weapons.

They can handle interior fights while retaining enough accuracy for Market and Long Hall.

AWP

The AWP can control Long Hall, Stairs and selected Market sightlines.

The map offers fewer comfortable sniper positions than many defusal maps. AWP players should avoid becoming trapped inside narrow rooms.

Rescue Kit

The Rescue Kit should be treated as an essential CT purchase when the team intends to play the objective.

Saving several seconds during the hostage pickup can decide the round.

Why Italy Is Not a Professional Map

Italy is not part of the modern professional CS2 map pool.

The primary reason is its hostage-rescue format.

Terrorists begin close to the objective and can use narrow routes to delay the Counter-Terrorists. The CT side must win enough space to reach the hostage and then complete a second journey to the rescue zone.

This creates a different economy, tempo and strategic structure from Active Duty bomb-defusal maps.

The professional scene is built around standardized defusal vetoes. Teams practice planting, retaking and defending two bombsites across a seven-map pool.

Preparing Italy would require a separate hostage-mode system that has limited relevance to the rest of professional competition.

How Italy Relates to Match Analysis

Italy does not normally appear in the professional matches analyzed by Winio.

If the map is used in a showmatch, community tournament or specialized event, its statistics should be evaluated separately from Active Duty results.

Relevant factors would include:

This illustrates an important analytical principle: statistics must be interpreted within the correct map and mode.

A strong Mirage team is not automatically strong on Italy because the objectives, roles and routes are fundamentally different.

Control the Route, Then Complete the Rescue

Italy rewards teams that remember the objective.

Counter-Terrorists need to take Market or another important route, clear the hostage area and protect the carrier during the return. Terrorists need to delay the attack, preserve utility and understand when intercepting the rescue is stronger than defending the original room.

Learning the callouts makes these decisions faster.

Clear information about Market, Trash, Connector, Apartments, Long Hall and Wine Cellar gives teammates enough time to support the correct route.

Italy does not affect the current professional map pool, but its structure demonstrates why context is essential when interpreting Counter-Strike statistics.

Map results, side balance, objectives and player roles must all be considered before drawing conclusions about a team.

Winio analyzes these factors across thousands of professional matches to show what the data says before the server decides the result.

Explore upcoming CS2 matches and data-driven predictions at Winio.