Skip to content
Vicinalia
Italiano Sign up

Castelli: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Castelli

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 Faiano 1, Castelli.

Castelli, the maiolica village below the Gran Sasso

Maiolica pottery has made Castelli known well beyond Abruzzo. Ceramic workshops have operated here for centuries, and the church of San Donato, its ceiling covered with painted tiles, is the best-known sign of that tradition. The village lies at around 500 metres on the Teramo side of the Gran Sasso, inside the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga national park, with the rock face of Monte Camicia filling the view.

This is mountain country, and the village is built on a ridge, with sloping streets and houses packed together. For a buyer, access, winter snow (climate zone E) and the state of walls and roofs, often in stone, are what count. Teramo and the Vomano valley are where people go for work, the hospital and secondary schools.

The population has fallen by 22.9% since 2011: there were 944 residents in 2023. The average age is 51.9, higher than 46.7 for the province, and over-65s make up 34.1%. Households have 2.12 people on average.

Castelli is in seismic zone 1, along with 10 of the 47 municipalities in the province of Teramo, with an expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of 0.205 g. In this part of Abruzzo many houses have undergone repairs in recent years: ask to see the design, the permits and the final inspection certificate before you discuss the price.

Cadastral maps from the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) are published. On a mountainside the report is most useful for landslide hazard and slope, which can differ a great deal even between neighbouring houses, and for measuring the real distance to services.

Key points

  • Maiolica village on the Teramo side of the Gran Sasso.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration 0.205 g.
  • 944 residents in 2023, down 22.9% since 2011.
  • For a repaired house, ask for the design, permits and inspection.

Overview

Castelli is a municipality in the province of Teramo, in Abruzzo. At the end of 2023 it had 944 residents, ranked 39 of 47 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Castelli is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Only 10 of 47 municipalities in the province are in zone 1.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.205 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Castelli, 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 22.9%. The estimated average age is 52 years, higher than the province average (47). 34% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 3.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Castelli declared an average taxable income of 17,669 euros, below the provincial average (21,288 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Castelli is in climate zone E, with 2,185 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 497 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Castelli has 4 schools and 1 pharmacy.

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets 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 2.0% of the land in Castelli, compared with 6.7% 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 Castelli.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Castelli: 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 Castelli 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 29 inhabited census areas in Castelli. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 54 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 9.5%
  • fair 90.5%

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 067012. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.