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Castelbottaccio: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Castelbottaccio

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: Corso Umberto Primo 1, Castelbottaccio.

Castelbottaccio, a village in the inland hills of Molise

Between 2011 and 2023 Castelbottaccio went from 349 to 235 inhabitants, a fall of 32.7% according to Istat, the national statistics office. It is one of many small villages in inland Molise, in the province of Campobasso, built on a rise above the valleys at about six hundred metres, with a compact old centre and farmland around it.

Those who remain are mostly elderly. The estimated average age is 58.6, against 47.6 in the province, and over-65s make up 47.7%, compared with 26.5% provincially. Foreign residents account for 8.9%. Average declared incomes are much lower than the provincial average, and for the hospital, offices and secondary schools people go to Campobasso or towards the coast at Termoli.

The property market is made up of stone village houses, many needing renovation, and a few newer homes on the edges. Before making an offer, have a surveyor look at the building, check the roof and services and work out what it will cost to make it habitable all year, in a village with cold winters (climate zone E).

Earthquakes are the most delicate issue. Castelbottaccio is in seismic zone 2 of the Civil Protection classification, like 64 of the 84 municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration in the village of about 0.202 g. Masonry houses need a structural check and paperwork for any work done. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps, and from the address the report also checks landslides and slopes.

Key points

  • Village in the inland hills of Molise, province of Campobasso.
  • Residents down 32.7% since 2011, now 235.
  • Over-65s at 47.7%, against 26.5% in the province.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.202 g.

Overview

Castelbottaccio is a municipality in the province of Campobasso, in Molise. At the end of 2023 it had 235 residents, among the smallest in the province (80 of 84).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Castelbottaccio is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (64 of 84) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.202 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Castelbottaccio, 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 32.7%. The estimated average age is 59 years, higher than the province average (48). 48% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 8.9% of the population. On average, a household has 1.7 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Castelbottaccio declared an average taxable income of 14,033 euros, below the provincial average (19,995 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Castelbottaccio is in climate zone E, with 2,156 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 618 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Castelbottaccio 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 1.2 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 2.5% of the land in Castelbottaccio, compared with 4.3% in the province and 4.0% 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 Castelbottaccio.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Castelbottaccio: 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 Castelbottaccio 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 2 inhabited census areas in Castelbottaccio. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 59 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 070013. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.