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Leonessa: 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 Leonessa

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: Localita' Piedelpoggio 1, Leonessa.

Leonessa, the upland plain below Monte Terminillo

Leonessa sits on an upland plain at almost a thousand metres, below the northern side of Monte Terminillo, in the northernmost part of the province of Rieti. The old centre has a regular layout, with the churches and squares of a town that once mattered a great deal, and many hamlets are scattered across the plain and the slopes. The Leonessa potato is the area's best-known farm product.

In summer the town fills with people returning to family homes or escaping the heat; in winter, snow and cold are a constant. The climate zone is E, but at this altitude winters are long. For a buyer, insulation, heating and access in snow matter, as does the distance to wider services, which are in Rieti, reached by car on a mountain road.

According to Istat, the national statistics office, there were 2,085 residents in 2023, down 15.9% on 2011. The population is older: an average age of 52.0 against 48.1 in the province, and over-65s at 33.2%. Foreign residents account for 8.0%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

The municipality is in seismic zone 1, the highest, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.252 g. For a stone house in the town or the hamlets, find out whether it has had seismic improvement work and ask for the paperwork; if there is none, have a surveyor assess it before making an offer.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps: the report finds the plot from the address and shows the official landslide and flood maps for that spot.

Key points

  • Upland plain at almost a thousand metres, below Monte Terminillo.
  • Many scattered hamlets, long snowy winters.
  • Average age 52.0, over-65s at 33.2%.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration 0.252 g.

Overview

Leonessa is a municipality in the province of Rieti, in Lazio. At the end of 2023 it had 2,085 residents, ranked 17 of 73 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Leonessa is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Only 13 of 73 municipalities in the province are in zone 1.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.252 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Leonessa, 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 15.9%. The estimated average age is 52 years, higher than the province average (48). 33% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 8.0% of the population. On average, a household has 1.8 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Leonessa declared an average taxable income of 21,369 euros, below the provincial average (22,743 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Leonessa is in climate zone E, with 2,901 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 969 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Leonessa has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 4 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 sports facility and 1 green area.

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 1.4% of the land in Leonessa, 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 Leonessa. 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 Leonessa: 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 Leonessa 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 69 inhabited census areas in Leonessa. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 100.0%

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

ISTAT code 057033. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.