Patio

1. Is it acceptable the regular Italian plural form patii or pati instead of an invariable form (or even patios!), being a foreign word (as it is in Devoto-Oli, Zingarelli, Treccani)?
2. Italian dictionaries usually write that patio is a Spanish-styled inner courtyard, then how can we call in Italian "an outdoor, paved area next to a house used for leisure activities" as it is common in English?

Tirrenico said:

What about corte, or terrazzo?

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