Cave: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Roma, Lazio. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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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 della Selce 1, Cave.
Cave, hill country east of Rome between Palestrina and Genazzano
Cave lies in the hills east of Rome, at the foot of the Monti Prenestini, between Palestrina and Genazzano. The old centre stands on a rise at around 400 metres, with narrow lanes and stone houses packed together; below and around it, estates of detached houses and small blocks of flats have spread in recent decades, along with homes scattered among olive groves, vineyards and woods.
Rome is about fifty kilometres away, and many residents work there. Commuters drive, using the Valmontone junction on the A1 motorway a few kilometres off, or the local roads towards the Via Casilina and the Via Prenestina; at rush hour journeys get much longer, so try the trip before deciding. Houses cost less than in the towns closer to Rome's ring road, which is what brings many young families here.
The figures show slow growth. Istat, the national statistics office, recorded 10,816 residents in 2023, up 3.8% on 2011. The estimated average age is 44.6, a little below the 46.0 of the metropolitan area of Rome, and foreign residents make up 11.1%. Average declared incomes are well below the metropolitan figure, which the capital pushes up. Supermarkets are plentiful (0.74 per 1,000 residents against 0.38), whereas for health services people often go to neighbouring towns.
This part of Lazio is not quiet when it comes to earthquakes. Cave is in seismic zone 2 of the Civil Protection classification, like 96 other municipalities around Rome, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.162 g in the built-up area. In the masonry houses of the old centre, floors, roof and the ties between walls are what matter; for newer buildings, ask for the structural sign-off and the certificate of habitability.
The land is cut by gullies and ravines, with steep slopes at the edges of the town: landslide hazard, and flood hazard in the valley bottoms, are shown in the report for the exact address. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, so an address can be traced to its plot.
Key points
- Old centre at around 400 metres, between Palestrina and Genazzano.
- 10,816 residents, up 3.8% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.162 g.
- A1 junction at Valmontone nearby, Rome about fifty kilometres away.
Overview
Cave is a municipality in the province of Roma, in Lazio. At the end of 2023 it had 10,816 residents, ranked 42 of 121 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Cave 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 0.162 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Cave, 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 grown by 3.8%. The estimated average age is 45 years, in line with the province. 21% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 11.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Cave declared an average taxable income of 21,374 euros, below the provincial average (28,682 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Cave is in climate zone D, with 1,926 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 399 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Cave has 6 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 8 grocery shops and supermarkets, 4 healthcare facilities, 6 sports facilities and 1 green area.
There are 0.4 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 13.6% of the land in Cave, 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
According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is high. 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 Cave.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Cave: 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 Cave 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 35 inhabited census areas in Cave. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 66 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 0.1%
- fair 45.3%
- good 54.6%
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
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Contaminated sites, ISPRA, MOSAICO - Banca dati nazionale dei siti oggetto di procedimento di bonifica. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 12 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 058026. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.