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Ostra: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Ostra

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 G. Matteotti 1, Ostra.

Ostra, a walled hilltop above the Misa valley

Brick walls still enclose the historic centre of Ostra, on top of a hill above the Misa valley, about fifteen kilometres from Senigallia and the sea. Until the nineteenth century the town was called Montalboddo; today's name comes from the Roman town of Ostra, whose remains lie in the valley not far away.

The municipality has an upper and a lower part. Inside and around the walls there are masonry houses, small palazzi and sloping streets; on the valley floor, along the river and the road to Senigallia, villages such as Pianello and Casine have grown up with newer homes and businesses. Ancona is around forty-five minutes by car.

If you are looking at a house in the valley, check its position in relation to the Misa and the streams that flow into it. The report reads the official flood maps at the exact address; on the surrounding hills, where the soils are clay, it also checks landslide hazard.

Istat, the national statistics institute, counts 6,264 residents (2023), down 7.1% since 2011. The average age of 47.0 is almost the same as the province's 47.2, and foreign residents make up 7.9%. The climate is zone D on the Italian scale, with fairly mild winters, and average incomes are below the provincial level.

All 47 municipalities in the province of Ancona are in seismic zone 2, on the Civil Protection scale where 1 is the highest hazard. In Ostra expected ground acceleration is about 0.185 g, a medium to high value. For an old house within the walls, ask what structural work has been carried out, such as tie rods or strengthened floors, and get copies of the paperwork.

Key points

  • Walled centre on a hill, about fifteen kilometres from Senigallia.
  • Population down 7.1% since 2011.
  • All 47 municipalities in the province in seismic zone 2.
  • In the valley, distance from the Misa is checked by address.

Overview

Ostra is a municipality in the province of Ancona, in Marche. At the end of 2023 it had 6,264 residents, ranked 16 of 47 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Ostra is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. All 47 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.185 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Ostra, 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 7.1%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 7.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Ostra declared an average taxable income of 21,920 euros, below the provincial average (24,794 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Ostra is in climate zone D, with 1,993 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 188 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Ostra has 5 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 5 grocery shops and supermarkets, 3 healthcare facilities and 3 sports facilities.

There are 0.5 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.7).

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 8.1% of the land in Ostra, compared with 9.1% in the province and 7.0% 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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Ostra, and one more has 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 Ostra: 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 Ostra 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 47 inhabited census areas in Ostra. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 61 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 2.7%
  • fair 75.7%
  • good 21.6%

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 042035. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.