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Oliena: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Oliena

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: Viale Italia 1, Oliena.

Oliena, below Monte Corrasi and facing Nuoro

You can see it clearly from Nuoro: Oliena sits on the far side of the valley, beneath the limestone cliffs of Monte Corrasi, one of the highest peaks of the Supramonte range. It is a Barbagia town at almost four hundred metres, with an old centre of stone houses and steep streets, and an economy in which farming, livestock and wine, above all Cannonau, still count for a lot.

The municipality includes the Su Gologone spring and the road towards the Lanaittu valley, both popular with walkers for much of the year. For buyers, what comes up is mostly houses in the old centre, often needing work, and more recent homes on the edges of town. Nuoro, with its hospital, public offices and secondary schools, is roughly a quarter of an hour away by road.

There were 6,530 residents in 2023, down 11.2% on 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age is 48.1, much the same as the province (48.3), and over-65s make up 27.4%. Foreign residents are very few, at 1.3%. Average incomes are close to the provincial level.

The whole of Sardinia has low seismic hazard. All 53 municipalities in the province of Nuoro are in zone 4, the lowest class set by the Civil Protection Department, and expected ground acceleration in Oliena is about 0.050 g. In a stone house the useful checks are the roof, leaks, insulation and the condition of the wiring and plumbing.

The Revenue Agency's cadastral maps are published, and the report finds the land parcel from each address. Below the Corrasi cliffs and along the streams coming off the mountain, landslide and flood risk change from plot to plot and need checking at the exact spot.

Key points

  • Barbagia town below Monte Corrasi, facing Nuoro.
  • 6,530 residents, down 11.2% since 2011.
  • All 53 municipalities around Nuoro in seismic zone 4.
  • Landslide and flood risk below the mountain checked by address.

Overview

Oliena is a municipality in the province of Nuoro, in Sardegna. At the end of 2023 it had 6,530 residents, among the most populous in the province (6 of 53).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Oliena is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 53 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.050 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 11.2%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 1.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Oliena declared an average taxable income of 19,256 euros, in line with the province (19,512 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Oliena is in climate zone C, with 1,366 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 379 metres above sea level.

Services

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

There are 0.8 schools per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (1.3).

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 2.3% of the land in Oliena, compared with 3.4% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Oliena is one of the municipalities designated as a radon priority area by the Regione Sardegna in 2022. 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.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Oliena: 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 Oliena 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 24 inhabited census areas in Oliena. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 79 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 1.0%
  • good 53.3%
  • very good 45.7%

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 114028. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.