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Borrello: 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 Borrello

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 Roma 1, Borrello.

Borrello, the Verde waterfalls and the Sangro valley

Borrello is best known for the Rio Verde waterfalls, protected by a nature reserve, which drop in stages down a rock face just outside the village. The centre stands above eight hundred metres, in the hills of the Sangro valley, inland in the province of Chieti. For hospitals, secondary schools and work the distances are long: you either go down the valley towards the Adriatic coast or up towards Castel di Sangro.

The village has stone houses, often old and on several levels, and some newer homes on the edges. Expect cold winters, as this is climate zone E, and significant heating costs. On the slopes the report checks the official landslide maps at the exact address, and near streams the flood maps.

Earthquakes are the most serious issue. Borrello is in seismic zone 1, the highest on the national scale set by the Civil Protection Department, like 21 other municipalities in the province, while 55 are in zone 2 and 27 in zone 3. Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.175 g. With old masonry you need a structural survey and an estimate for seismic upgrading before settling on a price.

In 2023 there were 356 residents, down 3.3% on the 368 of 2011, according to Istat, the national statistics office. The estimated average age is 50.8, against 47.4 in the province, and over-65s make up 31.5%, more than the provincial 26.4%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes Borrello's cadastral maps, and the report traces the address to its land parcel.

Key points

  • Sangro valley village near the Rio Verde waterfalls.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration about 0.175 g.
  • Over-65s at 31.5%, against 26.4% in the province.
  • Stone houses: get a structural survey before making an offer.

Overview

Borrello is a municipality in the province of Chieti, in Abruzzo. At the end of 2023 it had 356 residents, ranked 86 of 104 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Borrello is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Only 22 of 104 municipalities in the province are in zone 1.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.175 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Borrello, 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 3.3%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (47). 31% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 2.2% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Borrello declared an average taxable income of 16,210 euros, below the provincial average (21,427 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Borrello is in climate zone E, with 2,402 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 October to 15 April, for up to 14 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 804 metres above sea level.

Services

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

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 1.1 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 3.1% of the land in Borrello, compared with 6.4% in the province and 5.1% 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 Borrello.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Borrello: 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 Borrello 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 4 inhabited census areas in Borrello. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 1.0%
  • fair 99.0%

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 069007. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.