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Orani: 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 Orani

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: Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi 1, Orani.

Orani, Nivola's home village in Barbagia

Orani is the birthplace of Costantino Nivola, the sculptor who worked for many years in the United States, and it is home to the museum devoted to his work. The village is in Barbagia, south of Nuoro, on a slope at around 500 metres, surrounded by hills and mountains covered in scrub, holm oaks and pasture.

Buyers here enter an inland village market: stone houses in the centre, often along sloping streets, and newer homes built in recent decades. Nuoro is the reference for the hospital, secondary schools and offices and is reached by car. Otherwise, everyday life happens in the village.

The population is falling and ageing, as in much of the province. Istat, Italy's national statistics office, counts 2,664 residents (2023), down 11.4% since 2011. The average age is 49.2 against 48.3 in the province of Nuoro, and over-65s make up 30.4% against 27.6%. Foreign residents are very few, at 1.4%. The climate is zone D, with cool winters.

On earthquakes the picture is reassuring. Orani is in seismic zone 4, the lowest, like all 52 other municipalities in the province, and the expected ground acceleration is 0.050 g. In old houses, roofs, damp and insulation are what matter most.

On a hillside the elevation and slope of the plot count, and the report measures them at the address and checks the official landslide and flood maps. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastre is published and links the address to its land parcel.

Key points

  • Birthplace of Costantino Nivola, with his museum
  • Barbagia, south of Nuoro
  • 2,664 residents, down 11.4% since 2011
  • Seismic zone 4, the lowest, acceleration 0.050 g

Overview

Orani is a municipality in the province of Nuoro, in Sardegna. At the end of 2023 it had 2,664 residents, ranked 11 of 53 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Orani 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 11.4%. The estimated average age is 49 years, in line with the province. 30% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 1.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Orani declared an average taxable income of 19,179 euros, in line with the province (19,512 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Orani is in climate zone D, with 1,681 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 521 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Orani has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop and 1 sports facility.

The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.6 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 2.6% of the land in Orani, compared with 3.4% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 4.8 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Orani 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 Orani: 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 Orani 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 14 inhabited census areas in Orani. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 70 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 25.6%
  • good 74.4%

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 114034. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.