Massa di Somma: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Napoli, Campania. 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 Tullio Boccarusso 1, Massa di Somma.
Massa di Somma, on the slopes of Vesuvius facing Naples
Massa di Somma covers a very small area on the slopes of Vesuvius that face Naples, next to San Sebastiano al Vesuvio and Pollena Trocchia. Its houses have merged with those of the neighbouring towns, and coming from the city you barely notice where one municipality ends and the next begins.
The volcano is close at hand here. In the 1944 eruption lava reached the houses of Massa and San Sebastiano, and today the town lies in the red zone of the national emergency plan for Vesuvius, the area to be evacuated in advance if an alert is raised. Buyers need to know this: regional rules do not allow new homes to be built in the red zone, so the market is made up of existing properties.
The population is down 10.8% on 2011, with 4,985 residents in 2023. The average age is 43.9, close to the figure for the metropolitan area (43.2), and households have 2.64 members on average, a high number for Italy today. Foreign residents are few, 1.6%. Average declared income is below the provincial average.
Earthquakes add to the volcanic risk. Massa di Somma is in seismic zone 2, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.170 g, according to the classification used by the Civil Protection department. Buildings range from older masonry houses to post-war blocks, so for each property ask for the year of construction, any amnesty applications for unauthorised work and checks on the structure.
In heavy storms water runs quickly down the gullies that cut across the slope, carrying mud and debris. The report checks landslide and flood risk at the address and uses the cadastral maps of the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate), which are published for the municipality.
Key points
- Inside the red zone of the Vesuvius emergency plan.
- 4,985 residents, down 10.8% since 2011.
- Large households: 2.64 members on average.
- Seismic zone 2, acceleration about 0.170 g.
Overview
Massa di Somma is a municipality in the province of Napoli, in Campania. At the end of 2023 it had 4,985 residents, among the smallest in the province (82 of 92).
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Massa di Somma is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (76 of 92) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.170 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Massa di Somma, 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 10.8%. The estimated average age is 44 years, in line with the province. 20% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 21%). Foreign residents make up 1.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.6 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Massa di Somma declared an average taxable income of 19,349 euros, below the provincial average (21,545 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Massa di Somma is in climate zone C, with 1,273 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 175 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Massa di Somma has 6 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 3 healthcare facilities and 1 sports facility.
There are 0.4 grocery shops and supermarkets 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 19.6% of the land in Massa di Somma, compared with 34.9% in the province and 10.6% 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 Massa di Somma.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Massa di Somma: 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 Massa di Somma 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 17 inhabited census areas in Massa di Somma. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 69 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 9.7%
- good 90.3%
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.
- 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 063092. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.