Ceglie Messapica: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Brindisi, Puglia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Ceglie Messapica
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 Montevicoli 1, Ceglie Messapica.
Ceglie Messapica, between the Itria valley and the Brindisi plain
Where the Itria valley slopes down to the Brindisi plain, on the last heights of the Murge plateau at around three hundred metres, stands Ceglie Messapica. The historic centre huddles around the ducal castle and the mother church, with whitewashed alleys and flights of steps; in the countryside between Ostuni, Martina Franca and Villa Castelli there are trulli (the cone-roofed stone houses of the area), lamie and masserie scattered among ancient olive trees and dry-stone walls.
In recent years this countryside has attracted buyers from other regions and abroad looking for trulli and masserie to restore, and the town is also known for its food and for the biscotto cegliese, a local almond biscuit. Anyone buying a trullo or a rural house should check carefully that it complies with planning rules, what extensions have been added over time, road access, water supply and drainage.
The population is falling: 18,636 residents at the end of 2023, down 7.8% on 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office. Ceglie ranks number 6 in the province of Brindisi, with an estimated average age of 47.5 and over-65s at 26.2%, a little older than the provincial average. Foreign nationals make up 4.0% and declared incomes are below the provincial average.
Earthquakes are of little concern here: all 20 municipalities in the province are in zone 4 of the Civil Protection Department's classification, and the expected ground acceleration in Ceglie's built-up area is about 0.053 g. In dry-stone buildings such as trulli, and in vaulted houses, what matters is the soundness of the roofs, damp and any work done without proper plans.
The limestone lets rain soak away, but in hollows and on country lanes the heaviest storms make water run off and pool. The report locates the land parcel on the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps and checks the official flood and landslide maps for the address.
Key points
- Trulli and masserie in the countryside between Ostuni and Martina Franca.
- Population down 7.8% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 4, the lowest, like the whole province.
- Rural houses: check extensions, water and drainage.
Overview
Ceglie Messapica is a municipality in the province of Brindisi, in Puglia. At the end of 2023 it had 18,636 residents, ranked 6 of 20 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Ceglie Messapica is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 20 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.053 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
In zone 4 the risk is low, but for an older building it is still worth asking about the state of the structure.
Population
Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 7.8%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 4.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Ceglie Messapica declared an average taxable income of 17,257 euros, below the provincial average (19,420 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Ceglie Messapica is in climate zone D, with 1,542 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 298 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Ceglie Messapica has 13 schools and 6 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 10 grocery shops and supermarkets, 12 healthcare facilities, 8 sports facilities and 1 green area.
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 8.7% of the land in Ceglie Messapica, compared with 10.7% in the province and 8.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 5.8 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Ceglie Messapica is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Puglia in 2025. According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is medium. 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 open contaminated sites in Ceglie Messapica; one has been cleaned up or closed.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Ceglie Messapica: 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 Ceglie Messapica 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 88 inhabited census areas in Ceglie Messapica. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 70 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 0.6%
- fair 37.5%
- good 61.9%
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.
- Radon priority areas (Legislative Decree 101/2020), Regione Puglia, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2025.
- 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 074003. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.