Fara San Martino: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Chieti, Abruzzo. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
Liveability index free for any address
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Search for an address in Fara San Martino
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 Nazionale 1, Fara San Martino.
Fara San Martino, pasta and the Majella gorges
Fara San Martino makes pasta. Large pasta factories have their home here, De Cecco among them, founded near the springs of the river Verde that rise at the foot of the Majella massif. The village lies on the eastern side of the mountain, inside the Majella National Park, at the mouth of the Fara San Martino gorges, a narrow cleft in the rock from which footpaths lead into the heart of the massif.
Work at the pasta factories gives the village a different character from many small mountain communities; for everything else people rely on Lanciano and the towns of the Aventino valley, reached by car. The population is still falling: 1,272 residents in 2023, according to Istat, the national statistics office, 16.5% fewer than the 1,524 of 2011. The average age is 49.9 against 47.4 in the province, and over-65s are 31.4%, against 26.4%. Foreign residents make up 3.4%. Declared incomes are above the average for the province of Chieti.
Earthquakes should not be overlooked. Fara San Martino is in seismic zone 1, the highest class, which in this province applies to 22 municipalities, and the expected ground acceleration in the village is 0.179 g. For a house in the old centre, ask for the year of construction, the type of masonry and any documented strengthening work.
The climate zone is D, but at the foot of the Majella winter brings cold and snow. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps for the municipality, so the report reaches the land parcel; slope, landslides on hillsides and flooding along the Verde are read on the official maps for each address.
Key points
- Pasta-making village at the mouth of the Majella gorges.
- Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration 0.179 g.
- Population down 16.5% since 2011.
- Over-65s at 31.4%, against 26.4% in the province.
Overview
Fara San Martino is a municipality in the province of Chieti, in Abruzzo. At the end of 2023 it had 1,272 residents, ranked 45 of 104 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Fara San Martino is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Only 22 of 104 municipalities in the province are in zone 1.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.179 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Fara San Martino, 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 (47). 31% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 3.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Fara San Martino declared an average taxable income of 25,300 euros, above the provincial average (21,427 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Fara San Martino is in climate zone D, with 1,856 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 440 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Fara San Martino has 4 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 sports facility and 3 parks and green areas.
The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.6 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 1.4% of the land in Fara San Martino, compared with 6.4% 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 2 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Fara San Martino. 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 Fara San Martino: 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 Fara San Martino 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 8 inhabited census areas in Fara San Martino. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 3.1%
- fair 96.9%
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 069031. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.