Ascoli Piceno: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Ascoli Piceno, Marche. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
Liveability index free for any address
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Search for an address in Ascoli Piceno
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: Corso Giuseppe Mazzini 1, Ascoli Piceno.
Ascoli Piceno, a city built in travertine
The pale travertine of Piazza del Popolo is the calling card of Ascoli Piceno, a city founded by the ancient Piceni and later Roman, set on the Via Salaria road between the river Tronto and its tributary the Castellano, in the south of the Marche. Its centre is full of medieval towers and stone palazzi, and the local kitchen gave its name to olive all'ascolana, the stuffed fried olives found across Italy.
The demographic data point to a town that is shrinking and ageing. At the end of 2023 there were 45,448 residents, 9.0% fewer than at the 2011 census. The estimated average age is 49.3, against 47.8 for the province, and nearly three in ten residents (29.7%) are over 65. Ascoli is the second largest municipality in its province, with 22.6% of the population. Since 2004 part of the former province has formed the separate province of Fermo, which some older sources may still include.
Seismic hazard: 32 of the province's 33 municipalities, the city among them, are in seismic zone 2, and only 1 is in zone 1. In Ascoli's built-up area the peak ground acceleration (PGA) is estimated at about 0.18 g, on rock, with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years. In a centre of old stone buildings, the key question is what structural work has already been done and whether it is documented.
As for services, Overture Maps data record 51 healthcare facilities, 1.12 per 1,000 residents compared with 0.77 across the province, and 309 cafés and restaurants. The Ministry of Health lists 16 pharmacies.
The cadastral side is simple: the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) makes the maps available, and the report goes from the address to the building's plot. Landslide and flood hazard, in a town hemmed in by two rivers and hills, and the local price range are only checked at the precise address.
Key points
- Second largest municipality in the province, with 22.6% of residents.
- Population down 9.0% since 2011; average age 49.3.
- Seismic zone 2, like 32 of the 33 municipalities in the province.
- More healthcare facilities per resident than the provincial average.
Overview
Ascoli Piceno is the capital of the province of Ascoli Piceno, in Marche. At the end of 2023 it had 45,448 residents, the second most populous in the province. 23% of the province's residents live here.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Ascoli Piceno 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 0.180 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Ascoli Piceno, 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 9.0%. The estimated average age is 49 years, higher than the province average (48). 30% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 6.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Ascoli Piceno declared an average taxable income of 25,146 euros, above the provincial average (22,837 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Ascoli Piceno is in climate zone D, with 1,698 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 154 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Ascoli Piceno has 48 schools and 16 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 32 grocery shops and supermarkets, 51 healthcare facilities, 49 sports facilities and 8 parks and green areas.
There are 1.1 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.8).
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 9.9% of the land in Ascoli Piceno, compared with 6.5% in the province and 7.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 5.8 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Official databases list 6 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Ascoli Piceno, and 6 more have been cleaned up or closed. The report tells you whether one is close to the address.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Ascoli Piceno: 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 Ascoli Piceno 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 890 inhabited census areas in Ascoli Piceno. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 68 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 1.2%
- fair 35.2%
- good 63.5%
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 044007. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.