Cerreto Sannita: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Benevento, Campania. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Cerreto Sannita
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 Cesine di Sopra 1, Cerreto Sannita.
Cerreto Sannita, the rebuilt town and its ceramics
After the earthquake of 1688 destroyed the old settlement, Cerreto Sannita was rebuilt nearby to a single plan, with straight streets meeting at right angles and wide squares. That is unusual in inland southern Italy, and you still notice it walking through the centre. The town lies in the Sannio area, at the foot of the Matese mountains along the Titerno stream, and is the seat of the diocese of Cerreto Sannita-Telese-Sant'Agata de' Goti. Outside the province it is known above all for its ceramics.
For the villages of the Titerno valley, Cerreto acts as a service centre. Overture Maps data record 11 school sites, 3.07 per 1,000 residents against 1.36 in the province of Benevento, and there are 2 official pharmacies.
The population is shrinking. Istat, the national statistics office, counted 3,579 residents in 2023, down 12.3% since 2011. The average age is 46.9, close to the provincial 46.5, and over-65s make up 26.2%. Foreign residents are few, at 2.5%. Average declared incomes are below the provincial level.
The Benevento area is among the most earthquake-prone in Italy. Cerreto is in seismic zone 1, the highest class set by the Civil Protection Department (the national emergency agency), like 47 other municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.258 g. Almost every house in the centre is more than two centuries old and has been altered many times, so before buying ask what seismic strengthening has been done, under which permits, and have a surveyor look at the building.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps for the municipality, so the report can trace the plot from the address. Between the Matese slopes and the Titerno, landslide and flood hazard changes from street to street and is read for the exact spot.
Key points
- Rebuilt after 1688 with straight streets and wide squares.
- School centre for the valley: 11 sites, above the provincial rate.
- 3,579 residents in 2023, down 12.3% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration about 0.258 g.
Overview
Cerreto Sannita is a municipality in the province of Benevento, in Campania. At the end of 2023 it had 3,579 residents, ranked 17 of 78 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Cerreto Sannita is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (48 of 78) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.258 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Cerreto Sannita, 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 12.3%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 21%). Foreign residents make up 2.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Cerreto Sannita declared an average taxable income of 17,647 euros, below the provincial average (19,496 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Cerreto Sannita is in climate zone D, with 1,574 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 277 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Cerreto Sannita has 11 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 sports facility.
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 4.9% of the land in Cerreto Sannita, compared with 7.4% in the province and 10.6% 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 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 contaminated sites in Cerreto Sannita.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Cerreto Sannita: 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 Cerreto Sannita 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 27 inhabited census areas in Cerreto Sannita. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 58 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 9.1%
- fair 90.9%
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.
- 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 062023. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.