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Copertino: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Lecce, Puglia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Copertino

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 Corsica 1, Copertino.

Copertino, the castle and the farmland south-west of Lecce

Copertino's name is tied to Saint Joseph of Copertino, the friar known for his levitations, who was born here in the seventeenth century and is venerated in the sanctuary that bears his name. One of the larger towns of the Salento, the heel of Italy, it sits on the plain south-west of Lecce and is dominated by a sixteenth-century castle with bastions. Around it stretch vineyards and olive groves, the latter hit in recent years by Xylella, the plant disease that has killed olive trees across the province. The Ionian coast at Porto Cesareo is about twenty minutes' drive away.

Buyers can choose between houses in the old centre, often in stone with vaulted ceilings and courtyards, and newer districts of small villas and low blocks. In older houses, rising damp, the state of vaults and roofs, and whether any strengthening work has been done are the key points. Lecce, with its offices, hospital and university, is a short drive away.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 22,969 residents in 2023, down 3.8% on 2011, a trend shared by many towns in the Salento. Copertino is number 4 in the province by population. The average age of 46.1 is below the provincial 47.2, and over-65s make up 25.3%. Few residents are foreign, 3.4%. Declared incomes remain below the provincial average.

Earthquake hazard is low: all 96 municipalities in the province of Lecce are in seismic zone 4, and expected ground acceleration here is about 0.051 g. The Salento sits on limestone, with cavities and hollows where water can collect after heavy rain, so the report checks the official flood maps at the address.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report identifies the building's land parcel from the address.

Key points

  • Home town of Saint Joseph of Copertino, with a 16th-century castle.
  • 22,969 residents, down 3.8% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 4, like the whole province of Lecce.
  • Old stone houses: have damp and vaulted ceilings checked.

Overview

Copertino is a municipality in the province of Lecce, in Puglia. At the end of 2023 it had 22,969 residents, among the most populous in the province (4 of 96).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Copertino is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 96 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.051 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 3.8%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 3.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.5 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Copertino declared an average taxable income of 17,304 euros, below the provincial average (19,196 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Copertino is in climate zone C, with 1,194 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 November to 31 March, for up to 10 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 34 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Copertino has 15 schools and 7 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 16 grocery shops and supermarkets, 21 healthcare facilities, 14 sports facilities and 3 parks and green areas.

There are 0.9 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.6).

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 16.9% of the land in Copertino, compared with 14.1% in the province and 8.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 8.3 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Copertino is one of the municipalities designated as a radon priority area by the Regione Puglia in 2025. 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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Copertino. 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 Copertino: 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 Copertino 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 50 inhabited census areas in Copertino. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 64 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.4%
  • fair 53.2%
  • good 46.3%

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 075022. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.