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Erchie: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Erchie

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 Principe di Napoli 1, Erchie.

Erchie, Primitivo wine country between Brindisi and Taranto

Erchie is a farming town in northern Salento, the heel of Italy, in the province of Brindisi but almost on the border with Taranto, between Oria and Manduria. The land is flat, covered with vineyards, olive groves and dry-stone walls; the vines fall within the Primitivo di Manduria wine area, and many olive groves still show the damage of Xylella, the bacterium that has struck Salento's trees. The Ionian Sea is about twenty kilometres away, Brindisi and Taranto around three quarters of an hour.

House prices in Erchie are among the lowest in the province. In the centre are the traditional courtyard houses with stone vaults, often empty for years and in need of restoration, next to homes built by emigrants during the boom years; in the countryside, rural houses and small plots of land. It is a place to choose for peace and quiet or for a restoration project, knowing that jobs and many services are in the larger towns.

The population is shrinking: 8,173 residents in 2023, down 6.8% on 2011, or 599 fewer people. The estimated average age is 45.6 against 46.7 in the province, over-65s make up 23.1%, and households are larger than average, with 2.62 members. Foreign residents account for only 0.5%, and average incomes are well below the provincial level.

Earthquakes are the least of the concerns: all 20 municipalities in the province of Brindisi are in seismic zone 4, the lowest band of the national classification, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.050 g. In courtyard houses, what matters is damp rising through the tuff walls, the state of vaults and floors, and systems that need replacing.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are published and the report traces the plot, which helps when checking the boundaries of courtyards and land. There are no rivers, but after storms water collects in the lowest areas, and the report checks flood hazard for the address.

Key points

  • Farming town in the Primitivo di Manduria area, on the Taranto border.
  • 8,173 residents, 599 fewer than in 2011.
  • Seismic zone 4 across the whole province of Brindisi.
  • Courtyard houses in the centre, often in need of restoration.

Overview

Erchie is a municipality in the province of Brindisi, in Puglia. At the end of 2023 it had 8,173 residents, ranked 16 of 20 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Erchie is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 20 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.050 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 6.8%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 23% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 0.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.6 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Erchie declared an average taxable income of 16,547 euros, below the provincial average (19,420 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Erchie is in climate zone C, with 1,156 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 68 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Erchie has 5 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 5 grocery shops and supermarkets, 7 healthcare facilities, 1 sports facility and 1 green area.

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 9.6% of the land in Erchie, compared with 10.7% in the province and 8.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.1 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Erchie is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Puglia in 2025. 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 Erchie.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Erchie: 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 Erchie 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 26 inhabited census areas in Erchie. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 65 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.1%
  • fair 43.8%
  • good 56.2%

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 074006. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.