Skip to content
Vicinalia
Italiano Sign up

Amatrice: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Rieti, Lazio. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Amatrice

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: Frazione Sommati 1, Amatrice.

Amatrice, the upper Tronto valley below the Laga

Amatrice lies at almost a thousand metres in the upper Tronto valley, in the province of Rieti, surrounded by the Laga mountains with the Sibillini on the horizon. Its territory is very large and split into dozens of hamlets scattered among pastures and woods. The name is familiar across Italy thanks to pasta all'amatriciana, which comes from this area.

Much of the housing is new or has been rebuilt in recent years, next to plots where work is still under way. For buyers, paperwork matters more than usual: the structural design, the final inspection certificate (collaudo), building permits and, where public grants paid for the work, any conditions attached to them. In the hamlets, check access and services, which are mostly in the main village.

Istat, the national statistics office, counts 2,208 residents in 2023, down 16.6% since 2011. The average age is 51.2, higher than 48.1 for the province, and over-65s make up 33.0%. Foreign nationals account for 6.2%. This is a mountain climate, zone F, so heating is a major running cost.

Amatrice is in seismic zone 1, the highest, along with 12 other municipalities in the province of Rieti; expected ground acceleration is 0.259 g. For any property, ask to see the structural documents and, for older houses, get an engineer's assessment before buying.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps: the report reaches the land parcel from the address and checks the official landslide and flood maps.

Key points

  • Upper Tronto valley, almost 1,000 metres up, with many hamlets.
  • Population down 16.6% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 1: always ask for the structural documents.
  • Over-65s at 33.0%, average age 51.2.

Overview

Amatrice is a municipality in the province of Rieti, in Lazio. At the end of 2023 it had 2,208 residents, ranked 15 of 73 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Amatrice is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Only 13 of 73 municipalities in the province are in zone 1.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.259 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Amatrice, 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 16.6%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (48). 33% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 6.2% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Amatrice declared an average taxable income of 20,583 euros, below the provincial average (22,743 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Amatrice is in climate zone F, with 3,048 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 955 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Amatrice has 4 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 sports facility and 1 green area.

The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.5 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 2.0% of the land in Amatrice, compared with 3.2% in the province and 8.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.8 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Official databases list no contaminated sites in Amatrice.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Amatrice: 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 Amatrice 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 85 inhabited census areas in Amatrice. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.2%
  • fair 99.8%

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

ISTAT code 057002. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.