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Gessopalena: 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

Search for an address in Gessopalena

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 Peligna 1, Gessopalena.

Gessopalena, the gypsum village in the Aventino valley

The name says a lot: Gessopalena stands on beds of gypsum (gesso), and the old village, built straight onto the pale rock, is now largely uninhabited and can be explored on foot. The lived-in village has moved alongside it, on the ridge, looking over the Aventino valley and the Majella massif. Lanciano is the town for services and the hospital; the Adriatic coast is reached by following the valley down.

This municipality has lost many residents: 1,172 in 2023, 378 fewer than in 2011, equal to 24.4% according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age is high, 52.3 against 47.4 in the province of Chieti, and over-65s make up 35.1%, against 26.4% provincially. Foreign residents account for 5.9%; declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Homes on the market are masonry village houses and country houses, many shut up for a long time. The climate is that of high hill country, zone E, with cold winters.

Gessopalena is in seismic zone 1, the highest class in the national classification, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.167 g; in the province, 22 municipalities are in zone 1. For a masonry house, ask for designs and certificates of any structural work, and have a surveyor look at the floors, roof and wall connections before making an offer.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report links the address to its land parcel. On ground made of gypsum, clay and steep slopes, landslide hazard should be checked spot by spot on the official maps.

Key points

  • Old village on gypsum, Aventino valley below the Majella.
  • Population down 24.4% since 2011.
  • Over-65s at 35.1%, against 26.4% provincially.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration 0.167 g.

Overview

Gessopalena is a municipality in the province of Chieti, in Abruzzo. At the end of 2023 it had 1,172 residents, ranked 49 of 104 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Gessopalena 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 0.167 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Gessopalena, 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 24.4%. The estimated average age is 52 years, higher than the province average (47). 35% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 5.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Gessopalena declared an average taxable income of 18,084 euros, below the provincial average (21,427 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Gessopalena is in climate zone E, with 2,162 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 October to 15 April, for up to 14 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 644 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Gessopalena has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets and 1 healthcare facility.

There are 1.7 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.7).

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 2.7% of the land in Gessopalena, compared with 6.4% in the province and 5.1% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.5 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Official databases list one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Gessopalena. 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 Gessopalena: 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 Gessopalena 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 21 inhabited census areas in Gessopalena. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 56 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 5.8%
  • fair 94.2%

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

ISTAT code 069040. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.