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Drenchia: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Drenchia

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: Frazione Obenetto 1, Drenchia.

Drenchia, hamlets of the Natisone valleys on the Slovenian border

Drenchia is one of the municipalities of the Natisone valleys, in eastern Friuli, and its land runs right up to the border with Slovenia. It is less a village than a scatter of small hamlets on the hillsides, linked by narrow winding roads, among woods and old meadows. For services, people go down towards Cividale del Friuli.

A Slovene dialect has been spoken in these valleys for centuries, and the Slovene community is a linguistic minority protected by law, which shows in place names and local customs. Buyers will find stone houses, often in need of renovation, in hamlets with few neighbours. Before making an offer, check access, utility connections and the state of the roof.

In 2023 there were 101 residents, against 134 at the 2011 census, a fall of 24.6%. Over-65s make up 50.5%, against 27.8% for the province of Udine, and the estimated average age reaches 63.1. Foreign residents account for 8.9%. Declared incomes are well below the provincial average.

Earthquakes need to be taken seriously here. Drenchia is in seismic zone 2, on the scale set by the Civil Protection Department, and the expected ground acceleration is about 0.241 g; in the province, 70 other municipalities share the same zone and 19 are in zone 1. With a stone house, you need to know whether and when it was strengthened, what work was done and what paperwork exists.

On slopes this steep, landslide and flood hazard is read at the address on the official maps, which is what the report does; with the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps it also traces the land parcel.

Key points

  • Scattered hamlets of the Natisone valleys, on the Slovenian border.
  • Over-65s at 50.5%, average age 63.1.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.241 g.
  • Stone houses: ask what strengthening work has been done.

Overview

Drenchia is a municipality in the province of Udine, in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. At the end of 2023 it had 101 residents, among the smallest in the province (134 of 134).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Drenchia is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (71 of 134) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.241 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Drenchia, 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 24.6%. The estimated average age is 63 years, higher than the province average (49). 50% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 8.9% of the population. On average, a household has 1.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Drenchia declared an average taxable income of 15,626 euros, below the provincial average (25,508 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Drenchia is in climate zone F, with 3,577 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 663 metres above sea level.

Services

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 1.1 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 2.7% of the land in Drenchia, compared with 6.8% in the province and 8.1% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Drenchia is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia in 2024. 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 Drenchia.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Drenchia: 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 Drenchia 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 16 inhabited census areas in Drenchia. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 61 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 89.9%
  • good 10.1%

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 030034. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.