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Mottola: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Mottola

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 Marinara 1, Mottola.

Mottola, a hill town among ravines and cave churches

On a hill at around 390 metres, Mottola looks down over the plain that runs towards Taranto and the sea. The land around it is cut by gravine, the deep limestone ravines typical of this part of Puglia, and their walls hold medieval churches carved into the rock, among the best known in the region.

The old town takes up the top of the hill, with alleys and steps, and newer districts spread down the slopes. Buying in town means living with gradients and, in old houses, checking the state of walls and roofs. Outside the town there are masserie, the traditional fortified farmhouses, and country houses among olive groves and scrub. For work, many people look to Taranto and the coastal plain.

The climate changes with height. Mottola is in climate zone D, with colder and windier winters than on the coast, so insulation and heating weigh on running costs more than people expect in Puglia.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 15,228 residents in 2023, down 6.2% since 2011. The estimated average age is 46.9, a little above the province (46.5); over-65s make up 25.8% and foreign residents just 2.8%. Declared incomes are below the average for the province of Taranto.

Most of the province is in seismic zone 4, but Mottola is in zone 3, like 10 municipalities around Taranto, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.132 g. For a house in the old centre, often extended over the years, ask what structural work has been done. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and along the edges of the ravines and on steep slopes the hazard of landslides and rockfalls is checked for the individual address.

Key points

  • Hill town at about 390 metres, with ravines and rock-cut churches.
  • Population down 6.2% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.132 g.
  • Colder winters than the coast: insulation and heating matter.

Overview

Mottola is a municipality in the province of Taranto, in Puglia. At the end of 2023 it had 15,228 residents, ranked 10 of 29 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Mottola is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Only 10 of 29 municipalities in the province are in zone 3.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.132 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 6.2%. 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 2.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Mottola declared an average taxable income of 18,857 euros, below the provincial average (20,557 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Mottola is in climate zone D, with 1,715 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 1 November to 15 April, for up to 12 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 387 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Mottola has 12 schools and 5 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 7 grocery shops and supermarkets, 10 healthcare facilities, 12 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.

There are 0.5 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 4.9% of the land in Mottola, compared with 9.6% in the province and 8.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.8 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Mottola 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 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 open contaminated sites in Mottola; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Mottola: 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 Mottola 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 51 inhabited census areas in Mottola. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 75 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.1%
  • fair 37.5%
  • good 48.5%
  • very good 13.9%

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 073019. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.