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Molina Aterno: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Molina Aterno

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 Risorgimento 1, Molina Aterno.

Molina Aterno, in the Aterno valley between L'Aquila and Sulmona

The Aterno valley, south-east of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo mountains, runs down between bare hills towards the Sulmona basin. Molina Aterno sits here, on the river that gives it its name, at around five hundred metres, in a narrow and thinly populated stretch of the valley. It is a village of close-set stone houses, surrounded by fields, woods and steep slopes.

The first thing for a buyer to deal with is earthquakes, calmly and with paperwork in hand. Molina Aterno is in seismic zone 1, the highest class on the Civil Protection scale, like 103 of the 108 municipalities in the province of L'Aquila, and the expected acceleration in the village is about 0.259 g. For a masonry house, always ask whether it was repaired or strengthened after the earthquakes of recent years, what work was done, and ask for the building permits and the structural sign-off. A well rebuilt house can be safer than a newer one that has never been checked.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 344 residents in 2023, against 419 in 2011, a fall of 17.9%. The estimated average age is 52.2, against 47.5 in the province, and 34.0% of residents are over 65. Foreign residents are very few, 0.6%. Declared incomes are in line with the provincial average.

Winters are cold (climate zone E) and the main services are in the larger towns, Sulmona or L'Aquila, so a car is essential.

Along the river and on the slopes, the report checks the official flood and landslide maps for the exact address, starting from the Revenue Agency's cadastral maps, which are published for this municipality too.

Key points

  • Aterno valley, between L'Aquila and the Sulmona basin.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration about 0.259 g.
  • Ask for permits and sign-off on post-earthquake work.
  • 344 residents in 2023, average age 52.2.

Overview

Molina Aterno is a municipality in the province of L'Aquila, in Abruzzo. At the end of 2023 it had 344 residents, ranked 88 of 108 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Molina Aterno is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (103 of 108) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.259 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Molina Aterno, 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 17.9%. The estimated average age is 52 years, higher than the province average (48). 34% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 0.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Molina Aterno declared an average taxable income of 22,942 euros, in line with the province (22,903 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Molina Aterno is in climate zone E, with 2,205 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 512 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Molina Aterno has 1 pharmacy.

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 1.1 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 2.6% of the land in Molina Aterno, compared with 3.2% in the province and 5.1% 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 low. 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 Molina Aterno.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Molina Aterno: 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 Molina Aterno 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 3 inhabited census areas in Molina Aterno. 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 066055. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.