Francavilla al Mare: 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 Francavilla al Mare
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: Viale Alcione 1, Francavilla al Mare.
Francavilla al Mare, the beach south of Pescara and the upper town
Along the coast between Pescara and Francavilla al Mare the houses never stop: the two towns have merged, and Francavilla is Pescara's southern continuation, between the beach and the hills of the province of Chieti. The painter Francesco Paolo Michetti lived here, in the old convent where he met Gabriele d'Annunzio and other artists, and the town museum bears his name.
The municipality has two clearly separate parts. The marina along the coast has apartment blocks, hotels, second homes and a station on the Adriatic railway; the upper town on the hill has the old centre and its steep streets. For anyone working in Pescara the marina is handy, though summer traffic changes things considerably. There are 7.32 cafés and restaurants per 1,000 residents, against 5.82 in the province.
Many people choose Francavilla to stay close to Pescara, and the population is growing: Istat, the national statistics office, counted 25,543 residents at the end of 2023, up 7.3% on 2011. The average age of 46.8 is slightly below the province, over-65s make up 24.8% and foreign nationals 5.7%. Average incomes are well above the average for the province of Chieti.
The province spans three seismic zones, with 22 municipalities in zone 1 towards the Majella massif. Francavilla is in zone 2, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.117 g. In the blocks built along the marina during the tourist boom, ask for the structural design and the condition of the concrete and balconies, which are exposed to salt air.
Near the mouth of the Alento and in low-lying coastal areas the report checks the flood maps, and on the hill the landslide maps. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastre covers the municipality, so the report goes from the address to the plot.
Key points
- Merged with Pescara, marina and upper town, Michetti museum.
- 25,543 residents, up 7.3% since 2011.
- Average incomes well above the province of Chieti average.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.117 g.
Overview
Francavilla al Mare is a municipality in the province of Chieti, in Abruzzo. At the end of 2023 it had 25,543 residents, among the most populous in the province (4 of 104).
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Francavilla al Mare is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (55 of 104) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.117 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Francavilla al Mare, 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 grown by 7.3%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 5.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Francavilla al Mare declared an average taxable income of 24,848 euros, above the provincial average (21,427 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Francavilla al Mare is in climate zone D, with 1,830 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 19 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Francavilla al Mare has 22 schools and 7 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 17 grocery shops and supermarkets, 14 healthcare facilities, 35 sports facilities and 6 parks and green areas.
There are 0.3 pharmacies per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.5).
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 22.8% of the land in Francavilla al Mare, compared with 6.4% in the province and 5.1% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.6 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Official databases list 5 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Francavilla al Mare. 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 Francavilla al Mare: 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 Francavilla al Mare 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 95 inhabited census areas in Francavilla al Mare. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 61 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 4.8%
- fair 80.6%
- good 14.5%
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 069035. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.