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Balsorano: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Balsorano

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 Nazionale 1, Balsorano.

Balsorano, the Piccolomini castle over the Valle Roveto

Balsorano closes the southern end of the Valle Roveto, the Liri valley running down from the Marsica towards Lazio, squeezed between the Ernici mountains and the Marsica mountains. Above the village rises the Piccolomini castle, clearly visible from the valley road, and the municipality includes woods, pastures and hamlets along the river.

It is a border location: Avezzano is the Abruzzo reference town for public offices and hospital care, while Sora, already in Lazio, is close for shopping and services. The property market is small, made up of village houses, homes rebuilt during the twentieth century and detached houses on the valley floor, at low prices. Many houses are empty or used only in summer by families who emigrated.

The population is falling: 3,253 residents in 2023, down 11.0% on 2011, according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age of 47.1 is similar to the province of L'Aquila (47.5), and over-65s are 26.0%. Foreign residents are few, at 3.1%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Earthquakes are the main issue. Balsorano is in seismic zone 1, the highest in the Civil Protection classification, like almost the whole province (103 of 108 municipalities), and the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.235 g. The Marsica still remembers the 1915 earthquake, which destroyed many villages in the area. For a masonry house it is essential to know the year of construction, the work done and any structural assessments, ideally with a surveyor's help.

Between the Liri and the steep slopes, the report checks the official landslide and flood maps for the address and identifies the cadastral parcel.

Key points

  • Valle Roveto, on the Liri, towards the Lazio border.
  • Piccolomini castle above the village.
  • Residents down 11.0% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration 0.235 g.

Overview

Balsorano is a municipality in the province of L'Aquila, in Abruzzo. At the end of 2023 it had 3,253 residents, ranked 17 of 108 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Balsorano is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (103 of 108) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.235 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Balsorano, 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 11.0%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 3.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Balsorano declared an average taxable income of 20,282 euros, below the provincial average (22,903 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Balsorano is in climate zone D, with 1,897 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 340 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Balsorano has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets and 1 sports facility.

The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.6 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 2.7% of the land in Balsorano, compared with 3.2% in the province and 5.1% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.5 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Official databases list no open contaminated sites in Balsorano; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Balsorano: 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 Balsorano 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 37 inhabited census areas in Balsorano. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 6.0%
  • fair 94.0%

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 066007. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.