Muro Leccese: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Lecce, Puglia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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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 Salentina 0, Muro Leccese.
Muro Leccese, Messapian walls in the heart of Salento
The name comes from its walls. Muro Leccese stands on the site of a large Messapian settlement, the people who lived in this part of Puglia before the Romans, and remains of the old fortifications can still be seen at the edge of town. It lies inland in Salento, between Maglie and Otranto, a few minutes' drive from the Adriatic.
The old centre has the character of Salento towns: courtyard houses in the local limestone, flat roof terraces and narrow streets opening onto the square with the Palazzo del Principe. Many of these houses have been restored in recent years, some by people looking for a second home near the sea but away from the summer crowds. If you are buying an old house, check damp, the state of the vaulted ceilings and the plumbing and wiring, and make sure any alterations over the years were properly authorised.
The population is shrinking. Istat, the national statistics office, recorded 4,655 residents in 2023, down 8.6% on 2011, with an average age of 48.2 (47.2 for the province) and over-65s at 27.0%. Foreign residents are only 2.5%. Declared incomes are in line with the average for the province of Lecce.
Salento is quiet as far as earthquakes go: all 96 municipalities in the province are in seismic zone 4, the lowest, and the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.058 g. The climate, in zone C, brings mild winters and hot summers, so when renovating, protection from the heat and shade count for more than heating. The report still checks the official flood maps for the address.
Key points
- Inland Salento between Maglie and Otranto, with Messapian walls.
- Courtyard houses in local limestone in the old centre.
- 4,655 residents, down 8.6% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 4, like the whole province of Lecce.
Overview
Muro Leccese is a municipality in the province of Lecce, in Puglia. At the end of 2023 it had 4,655 residents, ranked 57 of 96 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Muro Leccese 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 0.058 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 8.6%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 2.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Muro Leccese declared an average taxable income of 19,219 euros, in line with the province (19,196 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Muro Leccese is in climate zone C, with 1,213 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 82 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Muro Leccese has 4 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 3 healthcare facilities, 6 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.
There are 0.4 grocery shops and supermarkets 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 16.2% of the land in Muro Leccese, compared with 14.1% in the province and 8.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 3.1 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Muro Leccese 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 Muro Leccese.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Muro Leccese: 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 Muro Leccese 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 22 inhabited census areas in Muro Leccese. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 71 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 1.9%
- fair 3.5%
- good 94.5%
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.
- Radon priority areas (Legislative Decree 101/2020), Regione Puglia, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2025.
- 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 075051. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.