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Barbara: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Barbara

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: Contrada Coste 1, Barbara.

Barbara, a hill village inland from Senigallia

From the coast at Senigallia it takes less than an hour's drive up into the hills to reach Barbara, a farming village inland from Ancona, with its centre gathered at the top and cultivated fields all around. It is a quiet place, living on agriculture, small businesses and commuting to the towns in the valley and on the coast.

The homes for sale are mostly village houses, often on several floors, and country houses with some land. In the old centre the streets slope and the buildings are old: look at the roof, the floors and the wiring and plumbing before working out the cost of renovation. The data list 2 schools; for wider services and a hospital, people go to the larger towns.

The population is falling. There were 1,264 residents in 2023, down 10.2% on the 1,408 of 2011, according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age is 48.4, against 47.2 in the province, and over-65s reach 30.0%, compared with 26.2% across the province of Ancona. Foreign residents are 9.4%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

All 47 municipalities in the province of Ancona are in seismic zone 2 of the Civil Protection classification. In Barbara the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is 0.180 g. For a masonry building, find out whether checks or works were carried out after the earthquakes that have hit the Marche in recent decades, and get the documents.

The Revenue Agency's cadastral maps are available: the report finds the plot from the address and cross-checks it with the official landslide maps, which in the Marche hills need looking at house by house.

Key points

  • Hill village inland from Senigallia.
  • Population down 10.2%, over-65s at 30.0%.
  • All 47 municipalities in the province in seismic zone 2.
  • Expected acceleration in the built-up area: 0.180 g.

Overview

Barbara is a municipality in the province of Ancona, in Marche. At the end of 2023 it had 1,264 residents, among the smallest in the province (44 of 47).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Barbara is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. All 47 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.180 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Barbara, 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 10.2%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 30% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 9.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Barbara declared an average taxable income of 22,787 euros, below the provincial average (24,794 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Barbara is in climate zone D, with 1,957 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 219 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Barbara has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop.

The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.7 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 6.4% of the land in Barbara, compared with 9.1% in the province and 7.0% 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 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 no contaminated sites in Barbara.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Barbara: 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 Barbara 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 15 inhabited census areas in Barbara. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 64 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 100.0%

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 042004. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.