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Cansano: 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 Cansano

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 Civitella 1, Cansano.

Cansano, on the Majella above the Sulmona basin

Above the Sulmona basin, on the slopes of the Majella massif, Cansano is a mountain village at about eight hundred and thirty metres, inside the Majella National Park. Its territory includes the archaeological area of Ocriticum, with the remains of Italic and Roman sanctuaries. Sulmona, down in the valley, is the reference for hospital, secondary schools, offices and the train.

For a buyer, earthquakes are the first topic. In the province of L'Aquila, 103 municipalities are in zone 1 and 5 in zone 2 of the Civil Protection Department's scale; Cansano is in zone 1, with a high expected ground acceleration of about 0.254 g in the built-up area. For a house in the old centre, ask whether the building has been repaired or seismically improved, under which engineering project, and whether the work covered the whole block of attached houses. A surveyor you trust can read the papers before you make an offer.

Istat, Italy's national statistics office, counted 215 residents in 2023, against 282 in 2011: 67 fewer, a drop of 23.8%. The estimated average age is 50.3, against 47.5 in the province, over-65s make up 30.2% and foreign residents 14.0%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Winters are cold (climate zone E), with frequent snow, so weigh insulation, heating and winter access alongside the price. In a national park, extensions and new building follow stricter rules, so check the building permits. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report links the address to its land parcel and checks the official landslide and flood maps.

Key points

  • Majella village above Sulmona, inside the national park.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration about 0.254 g.
  • 215 residents in 2023, down 23.8% since 2011.
  • Stricter rules on extensions in the park: check permits.

Overview

Cansano is a municipality in the province of L'Aquila, in Abruzzo. At the end of 2023 it had 215 residents, among the smallest in the province (97 of 108).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Cansano 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 0.254 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Cansano, 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 23.8%. The estimated average age is 50 years, higher than the province average (48). 30% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 14.0% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Cansano declared an average taxable income of 17,043 euros, below the provincial average (22,903 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Cansano is in climate zone E, with 2,783 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 835 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Cansano has 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 green area.

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 1.4% of the land in Cansano, compared with 3.2% 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 Cansano.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Cansano: 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 Cansano 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 3 inhabited census areas in Cansano. 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 066018. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.