Acquaviva Picena: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Ascoli Piceno, Marche. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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The report looks at the exact point: landslide and flood risk, seismic zone, price per square metre for the area, services and nearby stops.
For example: Viale Giacomo Leopardi 1, Acquaviva Picena.
Acquaviva Picena, the fortress above San Benedetto del Tronto
From the fortress of Acquaviva Picena, at around three hundred and fifty metres, you can see the sea: the town sits in the hills behind San Benedetto del Tronto, a few minutes' drive from the coast, looking out over the Adriatic on one side and the inland hills on the other. The old centre, gathered around the castle, is made up of brick and stone houses.
For buyers, Acquaviva is one of San Benedetto's hill towns. People live here and work on the coast, where the hospital, secondary schools, shops and the station on the Adriatic railway are. The market mixes houses in the old centre, often needing work and with a view, newer detached homes and farmhouses in hills planted with vines, olives and vegetables. Average declared incomes are below the provincial average.
In 2023 there were 3,621 residents, down 5.9% on 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age of 47.5 is close to that of the province of Ascoli Piceno (47.8); over-65s make up 25.5% and foreign residents 4.4%.
Acquaviva is in seismic zone 2 on the Civil Protection Department's scale, like 31 other municipalities in the province, and the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.179 g. In the old centre masonry buildings are often joined into a single block, so ask your surveyor to assess the shared walls and roofs as well.
The Piceno hills are largely clay, and the ridge the town stands on has steep sides. The report checks the landslide maps and the slope of the ground at the address. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the land parcel is found from the address.
Key points
- Hills behind San Benedetto del Tronto, crowned by a fortress.
- 3,621 residents in 2023, down 5.9% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.179 g.
- Ridge with steep sides: check landslides and slope.
Overview
Acquaviva Picena is a municipality in the province of Ascoli Piceno, in Marche. At the end of 2023 it had 3,621 residents, ranked 13 of 33 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Acquaviva Picena is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (32 of 33) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.179 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Acquaviva Picena, the building matters a great deal: ask for the design year, whether it met the 2008 seismic standards, and whether any seismic retrofit has been carried out.
Population
Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 5.9%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 4.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Acquaviva Picena declared an average taxable income of 21,527 euros, below the provincial average (22,837 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Acquaviva Picena is in climate zone D, with 2,060 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 1 November to 15 April, for up to 12 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 359 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Acquaviva Picena has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets and 2 sports facilities.
The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.8 per 1,000 residents.
Public transport
We do not yet have open public transport timetables for this municipality: the report says so explicitly, without inventing distances.
How built-up it is
Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 8.6% of the land in Acquaviva Picena, compared with 6.5% in the province and 7.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is low. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.
Official databases list no contaminated sites in Acquaviva Picena.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Acquaviva Picena: the report checks the address against the ISPRA maps.
House prices
The Revenue Agency's price ranges per square metre (OMI) apply to zones, not to whole municipalities: the report gives the range for the address's zone.
Land registry
The cadastral maps for Acquaviva Picena are public: from the address the report finds the sheet and parcel number.
Liveability area by area
The Vicinalia liveability index runs from 0 to 100 and looks at the place, not the people who live there: services within walking distance, transport, green space, natural hazards, air, quiet, buildings and connection. Here it is worked out at the centre of each of the 24 inhabited census areas in Acquaviva Picena. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 58 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 100.0%
Vicinalia index by census area, licence CC BY-SA 4.0. Data: IdroGEO ISPRA (2026), Istat, INGV, EEA, AGCOM, Overture Maps and OpenStreetMap.
The colour is the value at the centre of the area. For an exact address, search for it above: the free check looks at that exact point. How the index is worked out
Data sources
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Contaminated sites, ISPRA, MOSAICO - Banca dati nazionale dei siti oggetto di procedimento di bonifica. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 12 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 044002. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.