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Castel Gandolfo: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Castel Gandolfo

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 Piccola Casa San Giuseppe 1, Castel Gandolfo.

Castel Gandolfo, on the rim of Lake Albano

Lake Albano fills the crater of an ancient volcano in the Alban Hills south-east of Rome, and Castel Gandolfo sits right on its rim, at over 400 metres, with its centre looking down on the water. The town is known worldwide for the Papal Palace, the summer residence of the popes for centuries, and for the villas and gardens around it; the Vatican Observatory, the Holy See's astronomical observatory, is also based here.

Tourism shows in the figures: there are 9.40 cafés and restaurants per 1,000 residents against a provincial rate of 4.96. At weekends the centre and the road down to the lake get busy. Buyers will find flats in the historic centre, usually small and without parking, and newer residential areas outside the centre, towards the plain. The Rome to Albano railway has a stop in Castel Gandolfo.

There are 8,615 residents (2023), down 1.9% since 2011. The average age of 46.1 matches the province, 22.6% are over 65 and foreign nationals make up 10.7%. Declared incomes are below the metropolitan average. Schools are more numerous than in the province: 1.04 per 1,000 residents against 0.69.

The Alban Hills are a dormant volcanic area with frequent but generally weak earthquake swarms. Castel Gandolfo is in seismic zone 2, like 97 municipalities in the province of Rome, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.165 g. In historic buildings and 1960s blocks, ask for structural surveys and any strengthening work.

The inner walls of the crater are steep and unstable in places. The report checks the official landslide and flood maps for the exact address and identifies the cadastral parcel.

Key points

  • On the rim of the Lake Albano crater, in the Alban Hills.
  • Cafés and restaurants well above the provincial rate.
  • 8,615 residents, down 1.9% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.165 g.

Overview

Castel Gandolfo is a municipality in the province of Roma, in Lazio. At the end of 2023 it had 8,615 residents, ranked 47 of 121 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Castel Gandolfo is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. The region uses a finer breakdown: here the classification is 2B. Most municipalities in the province (97 of 121) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.165 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Castel Gandolfo, 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 1.9%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 23% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 10.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Castel Gandolfo declared an average taxable income of 25,058 euros, below the provincial average (28,682 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Castel Gandolfo is in climate zone D, with 1,966 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 426 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Castel Gandolfo has 9 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets, 4 healthcare facilities and 7 sports facilities.

There are 0.5 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.8).

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 11.6% of the land in Castel Gandolfo, compared with 13.2% in the province and 8.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Official databases list no open contaminated sites in Castel Gandolfo; 2 have been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Castel Gandolfo: 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 Castel Gandolfo 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 47 inhabited census areas in Castel Gandolfo. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 63 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 4.9%
  • fair 49.0%
  • good 46.1%

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 058022. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.