Skip to content
Vicinalia
Italiano Personal area

Isernia: what to know before buying a home

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

Search for an address in Isernia

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 Dante 7, Milan.

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 17 healthcare sites, twice the provincial rate per resident, and 21 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%.
  • Twice the provincial rate of education and healthcare sites 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.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood risk changes from one street to the next, even within the same municipality: for this reason we do not summarise it as a single figure for the whole of Isernia.

The report checks the exact address against the ISPRA national maps and tells you in plain words whether the building falls within an at-risk area. The official map is also available on IdroGEO.

House prices

We do not publish price tables by municipality. The report gives the minimum and maximum price per square metre for the address's zone, from the Revenue Agency's OMI valuations, with the reference half-year. It is a range for the zone, not the value of a specific home.

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.

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 21 grocery shops and supermarkets, 17 healthcare facilities, 18 sports facilities and 5 parks and green areas.

There are 0.3 pharmacies per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.8).

This data is gathered from several providers: services may be missing or closed businesses may still appear. The report counts services within 500 metres and 1 kilometre of the address.

Public transport

We do not yet have open public transport timetables for this municipality: the report says so explicitly, without inventing distances.

Land registry

The Revenue Agency publishes the cadastral maps for Isernia: the report finds the building's parcel, that is its sheet and parcel number, starting from the address.

Data sources

ISTAT code 094023. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.