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Cerchio: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Cerchio

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 Pietro Capocitto 1, Cerchio.

Cerchio, on the edge of the Fucino plain

Cerchio lies in the Marsica, on the eastern edge of the Fucino plain, the great lake drained in the nineteenth century and now a stretch of fields growing vegetables. The village climbs the slope above the plain, at about eight hundred and thirty metres, with mountains behind. Celano and Avezzano are the nearest towns for work and services.

The climate is zone E, with cold winters: insulation and heating weigh heavily on running costs. Houses for sale are mostly masonry homes in the centre and newer houses on the edges of the village, plus a few rural buildings towards the plain. The report measures the slope at the house and checks the official landslide and flood maps.

Istat, the national statistics office, counts 1,538 residents in 2023, down 7.0% since 2011. The average age of 46.9 is close to the 47.5 of the province of L'Aquila, over-65s are 27.4% and foreign residents 8.3%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Earthquake risk is the most important issue. In the province of L'Aquila 103 of 108 municipalities are in zone 1, Cerchio among them, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.260 g. The Marsica has the 1915 earthquake in its history: before buying, ask for the year of construction and the structural work carried out and, if possible, have a surveyor check the building.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report links the address to the land parcel.

Key points

  • Marsica, on the eastern edge of the Fucino plain.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration 0.260 g.
  • Population down 7.0% since 2011.
  • Cold winters: check insulation and heating.

Overview

Cerchio is a municipality in the province of L'Aquila, in Abruzzo. At the end of 2023 it had 1,538 residents, ranked 31 of 108 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Cerchio is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (103 of 108) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.260 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Cerchio, 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 7.0%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 8.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Cerchio declared an average taxable income of 18,979 euros, below the provincial average (22,903 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Cerchio is in climate zone E, with 2,781 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 834 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Cerchio has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop and 1 healthcare facility.

There are 2.0 schools per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (1.1).

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 5.8% of the land in Cerchio, compared with 3.2% in the province and 5.1% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.2 hectares.

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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Cerchio. The report tells you whether one is close to the address.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Cerchio: 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 Cerchio 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 9 inhabited census areas in Cerchio. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 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 066033. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.