Margherita di Savoia: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, Puglia. 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 Giuseppe Garibaldi 1, Margherita di Savoia.
Margherita di Savoia, salt pans, spa and the Adriatic
Squeezed between the Adriatic and the salt pans, the largest in Italy, Margherita di Savoia is a long, narrow town stretching along the coast towards Zapponeta, with the mouth of the river Ofanto a little to the south-east. Its present name, honouring Queen Margherita, replaced the older Saline di Barletta in the nineteenth century. The town used to belong to the province of Foggia and moved to Barletta-Andria-Trani when that province was created.
Salt, sea and spa waters are what keep the town going: the thermal baths use the brine and mud from the salt pans. In summer the population swells with holidaymakers, and many properties along the seafront are second homes. Buyers will mostly find flats in small blocks on level streets, with the sea a short walk away from almost everywhere.
Ground and water come first. The town sits practically at sea level, between the beach and the evaporation pools, so damp on ground floors, salt damage to steelwork and window frames, and standing water after heavy rain are the most common problems. The report checks the official flood hazard maps at the address.
In 2023 there were 11,154 residents, down 8.5% on 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office. The population is older than the provincial average: 47.7 against 44.6, with over-65s at 26.3% against 21.6%. Households average 2.15 people, and foreign residents make up 2.0%. Tourism shows in the services data: 100 bars and restaurants, 8.97 per 1,000 residents against 5.09 across the province.
On the Civil Protection Department's earthquake scale, Margherita is in zone 2, like 6 other municipalities in the province, while the remaining 3 are in zone 3; the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.132 g. For blocks built before current standards, ask for the structural drawings and have pillars and balconies checked. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps.
Key points
- A town between Italy's largest salt pans and the sea.
- Almost at sea level: check for damp and flood hazard.
- Population down 8.5% since 2011, over-65s at 26.3%.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.132 g.
Overview
Margherita di Savoia is a municipality in the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, in Puglia. At the end of 2023 it had 11,154 residents, ranked 8 of 10 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Margherita di Savoia is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (7 of 10) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.132 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Margherita di Savoia, 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 8.5%. The estimated average age is 48 years, higher than the province average (45). 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 2.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Margherita di Savoia declared an average taxable income of 18,222 euros, in line with the province (18,445 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Margherita di Savoia is in climate zone C, with 1,284 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 November to 31 March, for up to 10 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 1 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Margherita di Savoia has 9 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 7 grocery shops and supermarkets, 2 healthcare facilities and 15 sports facilities.
There are 0.2 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.6).
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 10.2% of the land in Margherita di Savoia, compared with 7.0% in the province and 8.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.0 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Margherita di Savoia is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Puglia in 2025. 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 Margherita di Savoia. 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 Margherita di Savoia: 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 Margherita di Savoia 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 37 inhabited census areas in Margherita di Savoia. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 69 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 0.4%
- fair 43.2%
- good 56.3%
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.
- Radon priority areas (Legislative Decree 101/2020), Regione Puglia, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2025.
- 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 110005. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.