Avella: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Avellino, Campania. 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: Via Santa Candida 1, Avella.
Avella, hazelnuts, a castle and an amphitheatre below Partenio
The hazelnut takes its name from this town: its Latin name is Corylus avellana, after ancient Abella. Avella lies at the foot of the Partenio mountains in Campania, in the Baiano valley at the far western end of the province of Avellino, close to the Nola area and the province of Naples. The castle stands on the hill above the town, the Roman amphitheatre and remains of the ancient city lie below, and hazel groves cover the slopes all around.
For many residents, daily life looks more to Nola and Naples than to Avellino. In neighbouring Baiano the Circumvesuviana local railway ends and there is an exit on the A16 motorway, so commuting into the Naples area is common. The market consists of houses in the old centre, often around courtyards and needing work, and of flats and villas in the newer parts towards the plain. If you buy in the centre or at the foot of the slopes, pay attention to gradients and retaining walls. The area is in climate zone D.
At the end of 2023 there were 7,486 residents, down 3.9% since 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office. The population is younger than the Irpinia average: an average age of 43.8 against 46.2, and over-65s at 20.3% against 23.9%. Households average 2.53 people and foreign residents are just 2.8%. Declared incomes are slightly below the provincial average.
The province of Avellino is split almost in half between seismic zone 1 (58 municipalities) and zone 2 (60) on the scale of the Civil Protection Department (Protezione Civile). Avella is in zone 2, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.189 g. The 1980 Irpinia earthquake left its mark on the whole area, so for buildings built or repaired after it, ask for the plans and the reconstruction paperwork.
The Partenio slopes are steep and covered with loose volcanic soils that can slide downhill in heavy rain. The report checks the official landslide and flood maps for the address and traces the plot using the cadastral maps of the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate).
Key points
- The town that gave the hazelnut its name, below the Partenio.
- Next to Baiano, with the Circumvesuviana and an A16 exit.
- Average age 43.8, against 46.2 in the province.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.189 g.
Overview
Avella is a municipality in the province of Avellino, in Campania. At the end of 2023 it had 7,486 residents, among the most populous in the province (10 of 118).
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Avella is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (60 of 118) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.189 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Avella, 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 3.9%. The estimated average age is 44 years, lower than the province average (46). 20% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 21%). Foreign residents make up 2.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.5 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Avella declared an average taxable income of 18,647 euros, below the provincial average (19,951 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Avella is in climate zone D, with 1,500 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 207 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Avella has 8 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 4 healthcare facilities, 3 sports facilities and 1 green area.
There are 0.3 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer 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 7.9% of the land in Avella, compared with 7.4% in the province and 10.6% 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 medium. 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 Avella.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Avella: 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 Avella 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 32 inhabited census areas in Avella. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 3.9%
- fair 95.7%
- good 0.4%
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
- 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 064007. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.