Grottaferrata: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Roma, Lazio. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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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 Anagnina 1, Grottaferrata.
Grottaferrata, the Greek abbey in the Alban Hills
In the Alban Hills, between Frascati, Marino and Rocca di Papa, Grottaferrata is one of the Castelli Romani towns, about twenty kilometres from central Rome. Its name is tied to the abbey of San Nilo, a monastery founded in the early eleventh century by Greek monks, where services are still held in the Byzantine rite.
It is a residential area of villas and houses set in greenery, upmarket apartment blocks and a compact centre around the main street, with declared incomes well above the average for the province of Rome. Many residents work in the capital and face the traffic on the Via Anagnina and the Via Tuscolana every day, so a home's position relative to these roads counts when choosing.
The ground is volcanic. The fertile soil has long supported vineyards and olive groves, but in cellars and basements it is worth testing for radon, a natural gas common in the Alban Hills that builds up in closed, poorly ventilated rooms.
Istat, the national statistics office, counts 20,356 residents in 2023, up 6.3% since 2011. The average age is 46.9, over-65s make up 25.3% and foreign nationals 7.5%. Services on record are extensive: 24 schools, 1.18 per 1,000 residents against 0.69 in the province, and 25 sports facilities, also above average.
The Alban Hills are seismically active, with recurring swarms of small tremors. Grottaferrata is in zone 2 of the Civil Protection classification, like 96 other municipalities in the province, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.167 g. For villas from the 1960s and 1970s, ask for the structural design and for permits covering any extensions. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) land registry is published, and on sloping ground the report checks landslides and gradient for the address.
Key points
- Castelli Romani town with the Greek abbey of San Nilo.
- Volcanic ground: test cellars and basements for radon.
- 20,356 residents, up 6.3% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 2, expected ground acceleration about 0.167 g.
Overview
Grottaferrata is a municipality in the province of Roma, in Lazio. At the end of 2023 it had 20,356 residents, ranked 23 of 121 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Grottaferrata 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 (97 of 121) are in the same zone.
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 Grottaferrata, 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 6.3%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 7.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Grottaferrata declared an average taxable income of 32,418 euros, above the provincial average (28,682 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Grottaferrata is in climate zone D, with 1,801 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 329 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Grottaferrata has 24 schools and 6 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 9 grocery shops and supermarkets, 17 healthcare facilities, 25 sports facilities and 8 parks and green areas.
There are 1.2 schools 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 20.5% of the land in Grottaferrata, compared with 13.2% 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 no open contaminated sites in Grottaferrata; one has been cleaned up or closed.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Grottaferrata: 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 Grottaferrata 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 68 inhabited census areas in Grottaferrata. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 67 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 0.7%
- fair 41.2%
- good 58.0%
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 058046. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.