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Molfetta: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Molfetta

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 Massimo D'Azeglio 1, Molfetta.

Molfetta, the fishing port and the cathedral by the sea

Seen from the harbour, Molfetta's skyline is the old cathedral of San Corrado with its two bell towers, built almost on the water. The town lies on the Adriatic coast between Bari and Bisceglie and has one of the busiest fishing fleets on the Adriatic, with the fish market and boatyards next to the quays.

The old quarter fills a small peninsula by the port, a maze of narrow lanes and tall, thin stone houses. Behind it is the nineteenth-century town with its main street and merchants' houses, and further out the newer districts reaching the olive groves. Out in the countryside is the Pulo, a large karst sinkhole. The station is on the Adriatic line, Bari is a short train ride away and the A14 motorway junction is just outside town.

The population is falling: 57,305 residents at the end of 2023, 3,128 fewer than in 2011 (5.2%). Molfetta is also older than the rest of the province of Bari, with over-65s at 26.2% against 23.7%. Foreign residents are few, at 2.7%, and incomes are in line with the provincial average.

Seismic hazard is moderate. On the Civil Protection map Molfetta is in zone 3, like 33 other municipalities in the province, and expected ground acceleration is about 0.107 g. Houses in the old quarter have stone walls, often vaults and floors added in different periods, so have a surveyor look at floors, roofs and any later storeys before you buy.

The report finds the plot from the address using the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps. The lame, shallow natural gullies that carry rainwater from the countryside to the sea, can fill up in heavy storms, so flood hazard is checked for the individual address.

Key points

  • Fishing port and seafront cathedral between Bari and Bisceglie.
  • Population down 5.2% since 2011; over-65s at 26.2%.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.107 g.
  • Station on the Adriatic line, A14 junction close by.

Overview

Molfetta is a municipality in the province of Bari, in Puglia. At the end of 2023 it had 57,305 residents, the third most populous in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Molfetta is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (34 of 41) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.107 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

Even in zone 3, seismic standards apply to new buildings: for an older building, ask about the design year and any structural work.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 5.2%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 2.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Molfetta declared an average taxable income of 21,548 euros, in line with the province (21,788 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Molfetta has 47 schools and 18 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 46 grocery shops and supermarkets, 36 healthcare facilities, 47 sports facilities and 5 parks and green areas.

There are 0.8 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more 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 20.8% of the land in Molfetta, compared with 9.7% in the province and 8.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 12.8 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Molfetta 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 open contaminated sites in Molfetta; 2 have been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Molfetta: 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 Molfetta 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 566 inhabited census areas in Molfetta. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 80 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.0%
  • fair 6.3%
  • good 35.9%
  • very good 57.7%

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 072029. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.