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Oricola: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Oricola

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 Civita 1, Oricola.

Oricola, a hill village on the Piana del Cavaliere by the Lazio border

Oricola lies on the border between Abruzzo and Lazio, close to the Carsoli-Oricola junction of the A24 motorway, and Rome is about an hour away by car. The old village stands on a hill above the Piana del Cavaliere plain, while the industrial area and newer homes are down on the flat.

The population has grown: 1,271 residents in 2023, according to Istat, the national statistics office, up 10.0% from 1,155 in 2011. Residents are also younger than average: 45.8 against 47.5 in the province of L'Aquila, with over-65s at 23.0%, against 26.4%. Foreign residents are 5.1%.

Buyers choose between stone houses in the old village, with alleys and steps, and small villas and blocks of flats on the plain, more convenient for cars and services. The village sits at around eight hundred metres in climate zone E, so winters are cold, with frost and some snow.

Oricola is in seismic zone 2, a class that in the province of L'Aquila applies to only 5 municipalities, while the other 103 are in zone 1, the highest. The expected ground acceleration in the village is 0.164 g: for buildings in the old village, ask for the year of construction and any upgrading work.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps, so the report reaches the land parcel. On the plain, surface water is what matters; on the hill, the slope: the report checks flooding and landslides on the official maps for each address.

Key points

  • Border village near the A24 Carsoli-Oricola junction.
  • 1,271 residents in 2023, up 10.0% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 2: only 5 municipalities in the province share it.
  • Average age 45.8, against 47.5 in the province.

Overview

Oricola is a municipality in the province of L'Aquila, in Abruzzo. At the end of 2023 it had 1,271 residents, ranked 39 of 108 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Oricola is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Only 5 of 108 municipalities in the province are in zone 2.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.164 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Oricola, 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 grown by 10.0%. The estimated average age is 46 years, lower than the province average (48). 23% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 5.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Oricola declared an average taxable income of 22,351 euros, in line with the province (22,903 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Oricola is in climate zone E, with 2,738 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 October to 15 April, for up to 14 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 810 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Oricola has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop and 4 sports facilities.

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 10.6% of the land in Oricola, compared with 3.2% in the province and 5.1% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Official databases list 2 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Oricola. The report tells you whether one is close to the address.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Oricola: 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 Oricola 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 26 inhabited census areas in Oricola. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 59 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 12.3%
  • fair 87.7%

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 066062. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.