Ischia di Castro: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Viterbo, 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 Roma 1, Ischia di Castro.
Ischia di Castro, northern Tuscia tuff and the ruins of Castro
Ischia di Castro is a village built on a spur of tuff, the soft volcanic stone of the area, in northern Tuscia, among woods, gorges and fields sloping towards the Maremma. Its territory holds the ruins of Castro, the Farnese city destroyed in the seventeenth century, now an archaeological site in the woods. The Farnese palace still dominates the village centre.
For a buyer, the market is that of a small farming town away from the main roads: tuff houses in the old village, often on several levels with cellars cut into the rock, and farmhouses in the countryside. Viterbo is the provincial capital, some way off by car, and the Maremma coast is not a long drive. The climate zone is E. In tuff houses, check for damp, the state of the cellars and the floors.
According to Istat, the national statistics office, there were 2,096 residents in 2023, down 11.8% on 2011. The average age is 49.9, above the 47.5 of the province of Viterbo, and over-65s make up 30.2%. Foreign residents account for 4.9%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.
The municipality is in seismic zone 2, like 39 other municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.139 g. In an old building on several levels, have a surveyor assess the load-bearing walls and the links between floors.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps. The report starts from the address, finds the plot and shows the official landslide maps, worth checking at the edges of the tuff cliffs.
Key points
- Tuff village in northern Tuscia, towards the Maremma.
- Home to the ruins of the Farnese city of Castro.
- Average age 49.9, over-65s at 30.2%.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.139 g.
Overview
Ischia di Castro is a municipality in the province of Viterbo, in Lazio. At the end of 2023 it had 2,096 residents, ranked 37 of 60 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Ischia di Castro 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 (40 of 60) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.139 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Ischia di Castro, 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 11.8%. The estimated average age is 50 years, higher than the province average (48). 30% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 4.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Ischia di Castro declared an average taxable income of 17,999 euros, below the provincial average (22,031 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Ischia di Castro is in climate zone E, with 2,102 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 384 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Ischia di Castro has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets and 2 parks and green areas.
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 2.0% of the land in Ischia di Castro, compared with 4.7% 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 contaminated sites in Ischia di Castro.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Ischia di Castro: 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 Ischia di Castro 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 32 inhabited census areas in Ischia di Castro. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 68 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 43.1%
- good 56.9%
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 056031. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.