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Fornelli: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Fornelli

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 Giuseppe Laurelli 1, Fornelli.

Fornelli, a walled hill village near Isernia

Fornelli is a hill village in the province of Isernia, in Molise, whose old core is enclosed by walls and towers, with stone houses packed along narrow inner lanes. The village overlooks the surrounding hills, and Isernia is where people go for offices, the hospital and secondary schools. Beyond the village the land is a mix of fields, olive groves and scattered houses.

Buyers here usually choose between two very different kinds of property: a stone house inside the walls, with thick masonry, stairs and tight access, or a newer house outside the walls with outdoor space and a car park at the door. With the first, look carefully at the roof, damp and the state of the wiring and plumbing.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 1,792 residents in 2023, down 6.9% since 2011. The average age of 47.1 is lower than the provincial 48.1, and over-65s are 23.4%, below 27.6% across the province. Foreign residents make up 1.8% and households have 2.29 members on average.

Inland Molise is seismically active. Fornelli is in zone 1, the highest class set by the Civil Protection Department, like 31 other municipalities in the province, and the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is 0.273 g. For old masonry houses, ask whether any strengthening work has been carried out and have a surveyor check the building before completion.

The report for an address in Fornelli measures the elevation and slope of the ground, checks the official landslide and flood maps and finds the plot on the cadastral maps of the Revenue Agency.

Key points

  • Walled hill village, with Isernia as the nearest town.
  • Average age 47.1, below the provincial 48.1.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration 0.273 g.
  • Have stone houses in the old core checked by a surveyor.

Overview

Fornelli is a municipality in the province of Isernia, in Molise. At the end of 2023 it had 1,792 residents, ranked 9 of 52 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Fornelli is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (32 of 52) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.273 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Fornelli, 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 6.9%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 23% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 1.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Fornelli declared an average taxable income of 18,141 euros, below the provincial average (20,102 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Fornelli is in climate zone D, with 2,039 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 530 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Fornelli has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 sports facility.

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 1.0 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 2.5% of the land in Fornelli, compared with 3.4% in the province and 4.0% 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 Fornelli.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Fornelli: 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 Fornelli 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 29 inhabited census areas in Fornelli. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 100.0%

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 094021. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.