Fossalto: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Campobasso, Molise. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
Liveability index free for any address
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Search for an address in Fossalto
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 Umberto Primo 1, Fossalto.
Fossalto, inland Molise hills north-east of Campobasso
Fossalto is a village in inland Molise, on the hills north-east of Campobasso, in a landscape of wheat fields and woods. Every first of May the village holds the Pagliara Maje Maje festival, in which a frame of branches and flowers is carried through the streets. Campobasso is the place for work, hospital care and secondary schools.
Population decline is one of the clearest figures: 1,153 residents in 2023, 327 fewer than in 2011, a fall of 22.1% according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age is 50.7 against 47.6 for the province of Campobasso, over-65s are 32.7% against 26.5%, and foreign residents 3.7%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.
Homes for sale are mostly stone houses in the centre, on several levels, and country houses with land. Many need work: before deciding, have the roof, services and damp looked at, and budget for winter heating.
Earthquakes are the most important check. Fossalto is in seismic zone 2 of the Civil Protection classification, like 64 of the 84 municipalities in the province, but the expected ground acceleration in the village, 0.223 g, is a high value. For a masonry house, ask for the year of construction, the structural work carried out and the related permits; if these are missing, factor strengthening into the cost of the purchase.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps and the report finds the land parcel from the address. On clay hills like these, landslide hazard varies a great deal from spot to spot, and the report reads it on the official maps.
Key points
- Inland Molise hills, north-east of Campobasso.
- Population down 22.1% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 2, but high expected acceleration: 0.223 g.
- Clay hills: landslide hazard checked for each address.
Overview
Fossalto is a municipality in the province of Campobasso, in Molise. At the end of 2023 it had 1,153 residents, ranked 38 of 84 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Fossalto is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (64 of 84) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.223 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Fossalto, 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 22.1%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (48). 33% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 3.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Fossalto declared an average taxable income of 15,373 euros, below the provincial average (19,995 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Fossalto is in climate zone D, with 2,003 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 511 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Fossalto has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets.
The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.5 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 3.9% of the land in Fossalto, compared with 4.3% 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 Fossalto.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Fossalto: 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 Fossalto 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 23 inhabited census areas in Fossalto. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 53 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 27.8%
- fair 41.3%
- good 30.9%
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 070024. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.