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Ortona dei Marsi: 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 Ortona dei Marsi

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 San Nicola 1, Ortona dei Marsi.

Ortona dei Marsi, the Giovenco valley on the edge of the National Park

Ortona dei Marsi is a mountain village in the Marsica, above the Giovenco valley, at around a thousand metres. Its land borders the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park area, with woods, pastures and footpaths. The Fucino plain and Avezzano are the reference for work, secondary schools and hospital, reached by car down the valley.

The population has dropped sharply: 386 residents in 2023, 34.8% fewer than the 592 of 2011. The estimated average age is 60.8, against 47.5 in the province of L'Aquila, and over-65s make up 50.3%. Households average 1.48 people.

For buyers, the market is stone houses in the old village and a few holiday homes. A mountain stone house needs a careful look: roof, leaks, wiring and plumbing, water connection. It is climate zone F, with snow and long winters, so heating weighs on the budget.

The Marsica is one of the most earthquake-prone areas in Italy. Ortona is in seismic zone 1 on the Civil Protection Department's scale, the highest, like 102 other municipalities in the province, with expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of about 0.261 g. Before buying, get a structural opinion and check whether the building has been strengthened.

Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are published and the report finds the land parcel from the address, with landslide and slope data read at that spot.

Key points

  • Mountain village in the Marsica, above the Giovenco valley.
  • 386 residents in 2023, down 34.8% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 1, the highest, acceleration about 0.261 g.
  • Over-65s make up 50.3%; average age 60.8.

Overview

Ortona dei Marsi is a municipality in the province of L'Aquila, in Abruzzo. At the end of 2023 it had 386 residents, ranked 84 of 108 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Ortona dei Marsi is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (103 of 108) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.261 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Ortona dei Marsi, 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 34.8%. The estimated average age is 61 years, higher than the province average (48). 50% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 4.1% of the population. On average, a household has 1.5 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Ortona dei Marsi declared an average taxable income of 20,782 euros, below the provincial average (22,903 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Ortona dei Marsi is in climate zone F, with 3,084 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 1,003 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Ortona dei Marsi has 1 pharmacy.

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 1.1 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 1.9% of the land in Ortona dei Marsi, 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

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 contaminated sites in Ortona dei Marsi.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Ortona dei Marsi: 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 Ortona dei Marsi 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 Ortona dei Marsi. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 18.7%
  • fair 81.3%

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 066063. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.