Montebello di Bertona: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Pescara, Abruzzo. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Montebello di Bertona
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: Contrada Campo Mirabello 1, Montebello di Bertona.
Montebello di Bertona, Pescara hills below the Gran Sasso
Inland from Pescara the hills climb in steps towards the Gran Sasso massif, and Montebello di Bertona sits on one of these ridges at around 600 metres. Olive groves, fields and woods surround the village; for secondary schools, hospital and offices people look to Penne and, further away, to the Pescara coast.
The village has lost a good share of its people. Istat, the national statistics office, counted 843 residents at the end of 2023, down 17.6% on the 1,023 of the 2011 census. The average age is 52.0, against 46.6 for the province, and over-65s are 34.6% of residents compared with 24.8% province-wide. Declared average income is below the provincial figure.
Buyers usually choose between a house in the old core, with thick walls and rooms on several levels, and a country house with land. In the first case, the state of the masonry and floors matters most; in the second, the access road, the well or mains water connection and the upkeep of the land. The climate zone is E, so heating is a real cost for several months a year.
Montebello di Bertona is in seismic zone 2 of the Civil Protection classification, like 27 other municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.189 g in the built-up area. Before signing, ask the seller whether the house has had seismic strengthening and whether the paperwork for that work exists.
Land parcels appear on the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) maps and the report uses them from the address. On hilly ground it is also worth checking slope and hillside hazards on the official maps, plot by plot.
Key points
- Hill village inland from Pescara, facing the Gran Sasso.
- Population down 17.6% since 2011.
- Over-65s at 34.6%, against 24.8% in the province.
- Seismic zone 2: ask about structural work already done.
Overview
Montebello di Bertona is a municipality in the province of Pescara, in Abruzzo. At the end of 2023 it had 843 residents, ranked 33 of 46 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Montebello di Bertona is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (28 of 46) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.189 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Montebello di Bertona, 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 17.6%. The estimated average age is 52 years, higher than the province average (47). 35% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 4.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Montebello di Bertona declared an average taxable income of 17,726 euros, below the provincial average (23,063 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Montebello di Bertona is in climate zone E, with 2,198 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 615 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Montebello di Bertona has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop and 1 green area.
The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.9 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 3.1% of the land in Montebello di Bertona, compared with 7.3% 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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Montebello di Bertona. 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 Montebello di Bertona: 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 Montebello di Bertona 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 9 inhabited census areas in Montebello di Bertona. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 58 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
- 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 068023. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.