Orte: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Viterbo, Lazio. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
Liveability index free for any address
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Search for an address in Orte
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 Garibaldi 1, Orte.
Orte, the tuff cliff over the Tiber and the railway junction
Orte comes in two parts, and that is the first thing to understand. The historic centre sits on a tuff cliff dropping sheer to the Tiber valley, with narrow lanes, old houses and a network of tunnels and chambers dug beneath the town; Orte Scalo, down below, grew around the station, one of the most important in central Italy, where the Florence to Rome line meets the line to Terni and Ancona.
For many people the train is the reason to live here: Rome is reachable without changing, and the A1 motorway has an exit next to the Scalo, with dual carriageways towards Viterbo and Terni. In the old town on the cliff homes are cheaper but often lack a lift or nearby parking; in the Scalo there are newer blocks and detached houses, convenient for commuters.
At the end of 2023 there were 9,087 residents, up 4.9% on 2011. Foreign residents make up 20.8%, a very high share for the Viterbo area, and the estimated average age is 45.6 against 47.5 for the province of Viterbo. Over-65s are 22.6%. Declared incomes are above the provincial average. By population Orte is number 7 in the province.
Earthquake hazard is medium: Orte is in seismic zone 2 on the Civil Protection scale, where 1 is the most hazardous, like 40 municipalities in the province of Viterbo, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.142 g. For masonry houses in the old centre, ask about the state of the structure and any strengthening work.
Two hazards linked to the geography need checking at the individual address. On the cliff, what counts is the stability of the tuff walls; in the valley, the Tiber can flood the low-lying parts of the Scalo. The report checks the official landslide and flood maps and, with the Revenue Agency's cadastral maps, traces the plot.
Key points
- Old town on a tuff cliff, plus Orte Scalo with its rail hub and A1 exit.
- Foreign residents 20.8%, population up 4.9% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.142 g.
- Cliff and Tiber: landslides and floods checked by address.
Overview
Orte is a municipality in the province of Viterbo, in Lazio. At the end of 2023 it had 9,087 residents, ranked 7 of 60 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Orte is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. The region uses a finer breakdown: here the classification is 2B. Most municipalities in the province (40 of 60) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.142 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Orte, 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 4.9%. The estimated average age is 46 years, lower than the province average (48). 23% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 20.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Orte declared an average taxable income of 23,525 euros, above the provincial average (22,031 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Orte is in climate zone D, with 1,935 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 132 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Orte has 7 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 6 grocery shops and supermarkets, 3 healthcare facilities, 10 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.
There are 0.3 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.5).
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 7.7% of the land in Orte, compared with 4.7% in the province and 8.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.6 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Official databases list 2 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Orte, and 2 more have been cleaned up or closed. 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 Orte: 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 Orte 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 67 inhabited census areas in Orte. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 2.8%
- fair 69.9%
- good 18.5%
- very good 8.8%
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.
- 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 056042. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.