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Greccio: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Greccio

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 Spinacceto 1, Greccio.

Greccio, Saint Francis's crib and the Holy Valley

Greccio's name is tied to Saint Francis: according to tradition, this is where he staged the first nativity scene, and the Franciscan sanctuary on the rock above the valley draws visitors, especially at Christmas. The village sits on the mountains that close off the Rieti plain to the west, known as the Holy Valley for the Franciscan sanctuaries around it.

The municipality runs from the hilltop village, with stone houses and alleys, down to the plain, where there are newer homes and easier roads. Buyers have to choose between the character of the old village, with its climbs and limited space, and the convenience of the lower part. Rieti, for work and services, is a short drive away.

There are 1,465 residents, down 3.6% since 2011. The population is old: an average age of 50.5 against 48.1 for the province, and over-65s at 32.3% against 27.1%. Foreign nationals are 6.5%.

The province of Rieti has high earthquake hazard. Greccio is in seismic zone 2 on the Civil Protection scale, like 60 municipalities in the province, while another 13 are in zone 1; the expected ground acceleration here is 0.172 g. Before buying, especially in the old village, ask for the year of construction, any seismic upgrading and the structural paperwork.

On the limestone slopes gradients are steep, while on the plain drainage matters. The report checks the official landslide and flood maps for the address and gives the cadastral details of the land parcel.

Key points

  • Village of Saint Francis's first crib, above the Rieti plain.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.172 g.
  • Over-65s at 32.3% against 27.1% in the province.
  • Hilltop village or homes on the plain: two different choices.

Overview

Greccio is a municipality in the province of Rieti, in Lazio. At the end of 2023 it had 1,465 residents, ranked 22 of 73 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Greccio is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. The region uses a finer breakdown: here the classification is 2B. Most municipalities in the province (60 of 73) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.172 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Greccio, 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 3.6%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (48). 32% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 6.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Greccio declared an average taxable income of 22,442 euros, in line with the province (22,743 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Greccio is in climate zone E, with 2,294 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 388 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Greccio 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 5.3% of the land in Greccio, compared with 3.2% in the province and 8.2% 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 medium. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.

Official databases list one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Greccio. 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 Greccio: 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 Greccio 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 25 inhabited census areas in Greccio. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.7%
  • fair 86.1%
  • good 13.3%

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 057031. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.