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Melissano: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Melissano

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 Paolo Veronese 1, Melissano.

Melissano, a lowland town in southern Salento near the Ionian

Melissano sits on flat ground in the far south of Salento, between the town of Casarano and the Ionian coast, surrounded by olive groves, vineyards and dry-stone walls. Lecce, the provincial capital, is about fifty kilometres to the north; for day-to-day needs people tend to use Casarano and the neighbouring towns.

Buyers here are usually looking at a village house, often single-storey with a courtyard or roof terrace, a short drive from the Ionian beaches, which belong to the neighbouring municipalities. In recent years Salento's olive trees have been hit by Xylella, a bacterial disease, and many trees in the countryside around the town are dead: worth bearing in mind if you are considering farmland or a country house. Declared incomes are below the provincial average. Climate zone C means mild winters and long, hot summers.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 6,632 residents in 2023, down 9.2% on the 7,307 of the 2011 census. That is a common pattern in the south of the province, where many young people leave to study or work elsewhere. The average age is 47.3, almost the same as the province (47.2); over-65s make up 26.7% and foreign residents only 1.7%.

Earthquake risk is low. All 96 municipalities in the province of Lecce are in seismic zone 4, the lowest class set by the Civil Protection Department, and the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.057 g. In older houses, the vaulted ceilings, rising damp in the tufa stone walls and the condition of flat roofs matter more, and are worth having checked before you sign.

There are no rivers in Salento. During heavy storms, though, water runs along the streets and collects in hollows in the ground, and some low-lying spots flood, so the report checks the exact address against the official maps. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps for Melissano, and the report traces each address to its land parcel.

Key points

  • Lowland town in southern Salento, between Casarano and the Ionian coast.
  • 6,632 residents, down 9.2% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 4, like the whole province of Lecce.
  • Tufa houses: check damp and vaulted ceilings before buying.

Overview

Melissano is a municipality in the province of Lecce, in Puglia. At the end of 2023 it had 6,632 residents, ranked 38 of 96 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Melissano is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 96 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.057 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

In zone 4 the risk is low, but for an older building it is still worth asking about the state of the structure.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 9.2%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 1.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Melissano declared an average taxable income of 15,721 euros, below the provincial average (19,196 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Melissano is in climate zone C, with 1,100 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 59 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Melissano has 3 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 4 grocery shops and supermarkets, 3 healthcare facilities, 4 sports facilities and 1 green area.

There are 0.5 schools 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 25.0% of the land in Melissano, compared with 14.1% in the province and 8.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.1 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Melissano is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Puglia in 2025. 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 Melissano.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Melissano: 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 Melissano 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 20 inhabited census areas in Melissano. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 67 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 29.8%
  • good 70.2%

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 075044. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.