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Offida: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Ascoli Piceno, Marche. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Offida

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 Tesino 7, Offida.

Offida, bobbin lace and wine between the Tesino and Tronto

Bobbin lace is still made in Offida, and outside doorways in the old town you may see women working with their pillow and bobbins. The town stands on a ridge in the Piceno area, between the Tesino and Tronto valleys, with the church of Santa Maria della Rocca built on the edge of the cliff and a compact centre around the square and the theatre.

Vineyards and olive groves surround it, and Offida's name also appears on wine labels, with a designation that covers Pecorino and Passerina. Ascoli Piceno and the coast at San Benedetto del Tronto are both under half an hour by car. In the old centre the houses are brick, often on several floors with narrow stairs; out in the countryside there are farmhouses, some already restored, others still to be done up.

The population is shrinking and ageing. Istat, the national statistics office, counted 4,617 residents in 2023, down 11.5% since 2011, or 598 fewer. The average age is 50.5, against 47.8 for the province; over-65s make up 32.0% and foreign residents 7.2%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Offida is in seismic zone 2, like almost every municipality in the province of Ascoli Piceno, with an expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of about 0.176 g. For a masonry building in the centre, find out whether it has suffered damage in the past and what work was done, with paperwork to prove it. The clay hills of the Piceno are prone to landslides, and the report checks the official maps for the address, together with the flood maps for the valley floors.

Key points

  • Piceno ridge between the Tesino and Tronto, home of bobbin lace.
  • 4,617 residents, down 11.5% since 2011.
  • Over-65s at 32.0%, average age 50.5.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.176 g.

Overview

Offida is a municipality in the province of Ascoli Piceno, in Marche. At the end of 2023 it had 4,617 residents, ranked 9 of 33 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Offida is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (32 of 33) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.176 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Offida, 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 11.5%. The estimated average age is 50 years, higher than the province average (48). 32% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 7.2% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Offida declared an average taxable income of 20,145 euros, below the provincial average (22,837 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Offida is in climate zone D, with 1,981 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 292 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Offida has 4 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 6 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 healthcare facility, 5 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.

There are 0.2 healthcare facilities 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 6.0% of the land in Offida, compared with 6.5% in the province and 7.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.7 hectares.

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

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Offida: 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 Offida 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 44 inhabited census areas in Offida. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 63 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 2.8%
  • fair 70.6%
  • good 26.6%

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 044054. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.