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Fagnano Alto: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Fagnano Alto

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 Convento 1, Fagnano Alto.

Fagnano Alto, scattered hamlets in the middle Aterno valley

South-east of L'Aquila the Aterno valley widens between farmed hills and mountains, and Fagnano Alto covers one of its slopes with a string of small scattered hamlets, each with its own stone houses and church. There is no single main centre: for schools, hospitals, work and shops people look to L'Aquila, reached by car along the valley.

Earthquakes are the first subject here. The municipality is in seismic zone 1, the highest on the national scale set by the Civil Protection Department, like 102 other municipalities in the province of L'Aquila, and expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.260 g, a high value. Many houses in the area have had repairs and seismic upgrading in recent years, and others have not. Before buying you need to know what work was done, by whom and with which inspections, and get all the paperwork.

The choice of hamlet matters. Sun exposure, access road and distance from the valley vary a lot from one cluster to the next, and in winter, in climate zone E, you will notice. The report reads the official landslide and flood maps at the exact address.

In 2023 there were 351 residents, 89 fewer than the 440 of 2011, a fall of 20.2% according to Istat, the national statistics office. The estimated average age is 50.5, against 47.5 in the province, and over-65s make up 31.9%. Foreign residents are 5.1%. Declared incomes are slightly below the provincial average.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps for Fagnano Alto, and the report links the address to its land parcel.

Key points

  • Scattered hamlets in the Aterno valley, south-east of L'Aquila.
  • Seismic zone 1, high expected acceleration: 0.260 g.
  • Repairs and strengthening: ask for all the paperwork.
  • 351 residents, down 20.2% since 2011.

Overview

Fagnano Alto is a municipality in the province of L'Aquila, in Abruzzo. At the end of 2023 it had 351 residents, ranked 87 of 108 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Fagnano Alto is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (103 of 108) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.260 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Fagnano Alto, 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 20.2%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (48). 32% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 5.1% of the population. On average, a household has 1.8 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Fagnano Alto declared an average taxable income of 21,350 euros, below the provincial average (22,903 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Fagnano Alto is in climate zone E, with 2,479 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 October to 15 April, for up to 14 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 665 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Fagnano Alto has 1 pharmacy.

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 2.3% of the land in Fagnano Alto, compared with 3.2% in the province and 5.1% 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 Fagnano Alto.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Fagnano Alto: 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 Fagnano Alto 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 12 inhabited census areas in Fagnano Alto. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 8.0%
  • fair 92.0%

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 066042. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.