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Atessa: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Atessa

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 Piana La Fara 1, Atessa.

Atessa, a hill town above the Sangro valley factories

Outside Abruzzo, Atessa is known mainly for its factory. On the Val di Sangro plain, inside the municipal boundary, stands the plant where Fiat Ducato vans are built, now part of the Stellantis group, and one of the largest industrial areas in southern Italy has grown around it. The town itself sits higher up, on a hill above 400 metres, with its old centre gathered around the church of San Leucio.

For a buyer this means two different markets. On the hill are the houses of the historic centre, often old, on several floors and opening onto steep lanes. Lower down, towards the Sangro river and along the roads of the industrial zone, are newer homes and the rural hamlets that grew with factory jobs. Shift workers look at the drive to the plant; people who want shops and services on foot look at the centre. Lanciano and the Adriatic coast are within driving distance.

At the end of 2023 Atessa had 10,319 residents, down 4.1% since 2011: industry has not stopped the population loss affecting inland areas. It still ranks 8 out of 104 municipalities in the province of Chieti by population. The mean age is 46.0, below the provincial 47.4, and 24.7% of residents are over 65. Foreign residents account for 6.0%. Shopping is well covered for a town this size, with 15 supermarkets on record.

The province of Chieti includes some of Italy's higher seismic zones: 22 municipalities in zone 1 and 55 in zone 2, on the national scale from 1 (highest) to 4 used by the Civil Protection Department. Atessa is in zone 3, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.114 g. In the stone and brick houses of the centre it is still worth asking whether roofs, floors and wall connections have been reinforced.

The clay hills of the valley are prone to ground movement, so for a house on a slope the first thing to check is landslide hazard, which the report reads for the address along with flood maps for the river plain. Cadastral maps are published by the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate).

Key points

  • Hill town, with the Ducato van plant on the Sangro plain below.
  • Population down 4.1% since 2011, mean age 46.0.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.114 g.
  • Clay hills: landslide hazard to check address by address.

Overview

Atessa is a municipality in the province of Chieti, in Abruzzo. At the end of 2023 it had 10,319 residents, among the most populous in the province (8 of 104).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Atessa is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Only 27 of 104 municipalities in the province are in zone 3.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.114 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

Even in zone 3, seismic standards apply to new buildings: for an older building, ask about the design year and any structural work.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 4.1%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 6.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Atessa declared an average taxable income of 21,025 euros, in line with the province (21,427 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Atessa is in climate zone D, with 1,846 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 433 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Atessa has 15 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 15 grocery shops and supermarkets, 4 healthcare facilities, 10 sports facilities and 1 green area.

There are 1.5 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.7).

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 7.3% of the land in Atessa, compared with 6.4% in the province and 5.1% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 5.5 hectares.

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 8 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Atessa, and one more has 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 Atessa: 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 Atessa 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 92 inhabited census areas in Atessa. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 64 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 1.7%
  • fair 50.9%
  • good 47.4%

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 069005. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.