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Arborea: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Arborea

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: Via Felice Porcella 1, Arborea.

Arborea, the reclamation town on the Gulf of Oristano

Arborea is a planned town. It was founded in the late 1920s and early 1930s when the marshy plain south of Oristano was drained, under the name Mussolinia, changed to Arborea when Fascism fell. Many of the families who came to farm the new holdings arrived from the Veneto, Friuli and Emilia, and the town still looks different from other Sardinian centres: straight streets, regular squares, farmhouses spread across a countryside laid out in a grid of canals and tree rows.

The economy revolves around farming and dairy, with a large cooperative known across the island. Towards the sea a long pine wood separates the fields from the beach and the coastal lagoons. Buyers choose between houses in the centre, often detached with a garden, and farm holdings with barns and sheds, which also need checking for the planning status of the farm buildings.

In 2023 there were 3,733 residents, down 7.8% on 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age of 47.7 is lower than the 49.8 of the province of Oristano, and over-65s make up 25.3% against 29.5% in the province. Foreign residents are few, at 1.4%. Average declared incomes are slightly above the provincial level.

Seismic risk is minimal: all 87 municipalities in the province are in zone 4, the lowest class of the Civil Protection classification, with an expected acceleration of about 0.050 g.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps. The plain lies almost at sea level and stays dry thanks to canals and pumping stations, so the flood map is the first check to make for the address, especially for holdings near the lagoons.

Key points

  • Planned town born from land reclamation south of Oristano.
  • 3,733 residents in 2023, average age 47.7.
  • All 87 municipalities in the province in seismic zone 4.
  • Low plain with canals and lagoons: check the flood map.

Overview

Arborea is a municipality in the province of Oristano, in Sardegna. At the end of 2023 it had 3,733 residents, among the most populous in the province (9 of 87).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Arborea is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 87 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.050 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

In zone 4 the risk is low, but for an older building it is still worth asking about the state of the structure.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 7.8%. The estimated average age is 48 years, lower than the province average (50). 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 1.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Arborea declared an average taxable income of 20,181 euros, in line with the province (19,764 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Arborea is in climate zone C, with 951 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 November to 31 March, for up to 10 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 7 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Arborea has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop, 3 healthcare facilities and 2 sports facilities.

There are 0.3 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.9).

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 6.1% of the land in Arborea, compared with 3.4% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Arborea is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Sardegna in 2022. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Arborea: 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 Arborea 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 34 inhabited census areas in Arborea. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 78 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 15.6%
  • good 45.9%
  • very good 38.4%

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 115006. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.