Cerro al Volturno: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Isernia, Molise. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Cerro al Volturno
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 Arno 1, Cerro al Volturno.
Cerro al Volturno, a castle on a crag in the upper valley
Castello Pandone, built on the crag that towers over the village, is the image by which Cerro al Volturno is recognised. The village lies in the upper Volturno valley, in the province of Isernia, between wooded mountains and the valley floor, where the river runs alongside the road linking the area to Isernia and the rest of Molise.
House hunters have two options: stone houses in the old centre below the castle, often needing work and reached by steep lanes, and newer homes in the hamlets and along the valley floor. Isernia is the reference for hospital care, secondary schools and public offices. The report measures the distance to services from the house and reads the official landslide and flood maps for the address, which in a mountain valley vary a great deal from place to place.
Istat, the national statistics office, counted 1,120 residents in 2023, down 16.5% on 2011. The estimated average age is 50.4 against 48.1 for the province, and over-65s make up 32.1%. Households are small, with 1.98 members on average, and foreign residents account for 7.1%.
Earthquakes are the main issue. The Civil Protection Department places Cerro al Volturno in seismic zone 1, the highest, like 32 of the 52 municipalities in the province of Isernia, and expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.273 g. Before buying a masonry house, you need the year of construction, details of any seismic upgrading or strengthening with the related permits and, if these are missing, an engineer's opinion.
The climate is zone D, with cool winters. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps, and the report traces the address back to its plot.
Key points
- Upper Volturno valley, below Castello Pandone.
- Population down 16.5% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration about 0.273 g.
- Masonry houses: check seismic work and permits.
Overview
Cerro al Volturno is a municipality in the province of Isernia, in Molise. At the end of 2023 it had 1,120 residents, ranked 16 of 52 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Cerro al Volturno is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (32 of 52) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.273 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Cerro al Volturno, 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 16.5%. The estimated average age is 50 years, higher than the province average (48). 32% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 7.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Cerro al Volturno declared an average taxable income of 18,772 euros, below the provincial average (20,102 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Cerro al Volturno is in climate zone D, with 1,990 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 500 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Cerro al Volturno has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets.
The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.5 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 3.0% of the land in Cerro al Volturno, compared with 3.4% in the province and 4.0% 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 Cerro al Volturno.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Cerro al Volturno: 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 Cerro al Volturno 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 24 inhabited census areas in Cerro al Volturno. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 0.3%
- fair 99.7%
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 094014. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.