Isernia: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Isernia, Molise. 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: Corso Risorgimento 1, Isernia.
Isernia, a small capital in the Molise Apennines
With just over twenty thousand residents, Isernia is one of Italy's smallest provincial capitals. It sits in the Apennine mountains of Molise, on a ridge between two watercourses, and its past goes back a very long way: within the municipality lies the prehistoric site of Isernia La Pineta, one of Europe's most important Palaeolithic finds. Today the town is mainly a centre for public offices, services and shopping for the mountain villages around it.
The first thing to know concerns earthquakes. Isernia is in seismic zone 1, the highest class: 32 of the 52 municipalities in its province share that rating, and the other 20 are in zone 2. Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.262 g, which is high. The question to ask before buying here is not whether the risk exists but how the building is put together: its age, its structure, any strengthening work and the certificates that go with it.
In 2023 there were 20,684 residents, compared with 22,025 at the 2011 census, a fall of 6.1%. Isernia is still the largest municipality in the province, with 26.1% of its population. It is younger than the surrounding area: an estimated average age of about 47 against 48.1 in the province, and 25.8% of residents over 65 against 27.6%. Foreign nationals make up 5.7%, and households average 2.29 people.
Overture's open map data show 25 education sites and 21 healthcare sites, the latter well above the provincial rate per resident, and 18 supermarkets. There are only 6 officially registered pharmacies, however, proportionally less than half the provincial average.
The Revenue Agency's cadastral maps (Agenzia delle Entrate) cover Isernia, and the report traces the land parcel from the address. On terrain made of ridges and slopes, landslide and flood risk is not assessed for the whole municipality but at the exact location of the property.
Key points
- Seismic zone 1, expected ground acceleration about 0.262 g.
- 20,684 residents in 2023, down 6.1% since 2011.
- Younger than its province: 25.8% over 65 against 27.6%.
- Healthcare sites well above the provincial rate per resident.
Overview
Isernia is the capital of the province of Isernia, in Molise. At the end of 2023 it had 20,684 residents, the most populous municipality in the province. 26% of the province's residents live here.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Isernia is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (32 of 52) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.262 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Isernia, 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 6.1%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 5.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Isernia declared an average taxable income of 23,184 euros, above the provincial average (20,102 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Isernia is in climate zone D, with 1,866 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 423 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Isernia has 25 schools and 6 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 18 grocery shops and supermarkets, 21 healthcare facilities, 20 sports facilities and 5 parks and green areas.
There are 0.3 pharmacies per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.8).
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 8.7% of the land in Isernia, compared with 3.4% in the province and 4.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.7 hectares.
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 Isernia; 2 have been cleaned up or closed.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Isernia: 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 Isernia 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 245 inhabited census areas in Isernia. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 0.1%
- fair 99.9%
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 094023. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.