Fossacesia: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Chieti, Abruzzo. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Fossacesia
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 Lungomare 1, Fossacesia.
Fossacesia, San Giovanni in Venere and the Trabocchi Coast
The landmark of Fossacesia is the abbey of San Giovanni in Venere, built on a headland overlooking the Adriatic, just north of the mouth of the river Sangro. The municipality is split between the town, on a hill a few kilometres from the sea, and Fossacesia Marina on the coast, where many holiday homes are concentrated.
This is part of the Trabocchi Coast, named after the old wooden fishing platforms that reach out over the water, and the route of the former coastal railway now carries the Via Verde, a cycle path that follows the shore for kilometres. Lanciano is about fifteen minutes away; just to the south, in the Sangro valley, lies one of the largest industrial areas in Abruzzo, which employs many people from the surrounding towns.
The population has barely moved: 6,227 residents in 2023 against 6,217 in 2011, according to Istat, the national statistics institute. It is younger than the province of Chieti, with an average age of 45.8 against 47.4 and 23.3% over 65. Foreign residents make up 5.3%. Tourism shows in the services listed by Overture Maps: 44 bars and restaurants, above the provincial rate per resident.
For a buyer, the town and the marina are two separate markets: year-round residents on the hill, second homes and summer lets on the coast. On the slopes between the headland and the sea, ground stability matters; near the mouth of the Sangro, flood exposure. The report checks both on the official maps starting from the address.
The province of Chieti has 22 municipalities in seismic zone 1 and 55 in zone 2, on the Civil Protection scale where 1 is the highest hazard; Fossacesia is in zone 3, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.096 g. The hazard is moderate, but for seaside houses built between the 1960s and the 1980s it is still worth asking for the structural sign-off and checking that the house matches its permits.
Key points
- Abbey on the headland, the Trabocchi Coast and the Via Verde.
- Stable population: 6,227 against 6,217 in 2011.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.096 g.
- Sea cliffs and the Sangro mouth to check by address.
Overview
Fossacesia is a municipality in the province of Chieti, in Abruzzo. At the end of 2023 it had 6,227 residents, among the most populous in the province (10 of 104).
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Fossacesia is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Only 27 of 104 municipalities in the province are in zone 3.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.096 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
Even in zone 3, seismic standards apply to new buildings: for an older building, ask about the design year and any structural work.
Population
Compared with the 2011 census, the number of residents is nearly unchanged. The estimated average age is 46 years, lower than the province average (47). 23% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 5.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Fossacesia declared an average taxable income of 19,857 euros, below the provincial average (21,427 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Fossacesia is in climate zone D, with 1,406 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 140 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Fossacesia has 4 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 6 grocery shops and supermarkets, 2 healthcare facilities, 9 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.
There are 0.3 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer 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 11.7% of the land in Fossacesia, compared with 6.4% in the province and 5.1% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.2 hectares.
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 Fossacesia. 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 Fossacesia: 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 Fossacesia 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 58 inhabited census areas in Fossacesia. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 66 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 7.8%
- fair 39.0%
- good 53.2%
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
- 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 069033. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.