Palena: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Chieti, Abruzzo. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
Liveability index free for any address
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Search for an address in Palena
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 Sant'Antonio 2, Palena.
Palena, the upper Aventino valley below the Majella
Palena lies at the head of the Aventino valley, where the river rises at the foot of the Majella massif and the road starts to climb towards the Forchetta pass and Roccaraso. The village, at around 770 metres, is part of the Majella National Park: woods, pastures and mountains all round, and long winters (climate zone E). Lanciano and the Adriatic coast are reached by following the valley down.
Buyers here usually want a stone house in the old centre, often in need of work, or a base for summer holidays and the snow. For a hospital, secondary schools or a big supermarket you drive to the larger towns down the valley, so a car is essential. Declared incomes are below the average for the province of Chieti.
In 2023 there were 1,220 residents, 192 fewer than at the 2011 census held by Istat, the national statistics office (a fall of 13.6%). The average age is 49.0, against 47.4 for the province; over-65s are 27.4% and foreign residents 2.7%.
Earthquakes deserve the closest look. Palena is in seismic zone 1, the highest class in the national scheme run by the Civil Protection Department, together with 21 other municipalities in the province, and the expected ground acceleration in the village is 0.227 g. With an old masonry house, ask what structural work has been done and which documents prove it. If the house needs renovating, put strengthening in the budget from the start, alongside the roof and insulation.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps for Palena, so the report traces the address back to its land parcel. Conditions differ between houses on the slope and those near the river: gradient, landslides and flooding are read on the official maps for each address.
Key points
- Upper Aventino valley, inside the Majella National Park.
- Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration 0.227 g.
- Population down 13.6% since 2011.
- Long winters: insulation and heating weigh on running costs.
Overview
Palena is a municipality in the province of Chieti, in Abruzzo. At the end of 2023 it had 1,220 residents, ranked 47 of 104 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Palena is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Only 22 of 104 municipalities in the province are in zone 1.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.227 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Palena, 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 13.6%. The estimated average age is 49 years, higher than the province average (47). 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 2.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Palena declared an average taxable income of 17,834 euros, below the provincial average (21,427 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Palena is in climate zone E, with 2,261 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 767 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Palena has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 sports facility and 2 parks and green areas.
The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.7 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 1.2% of the land in Palena, compared with 6.4% 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 Palena.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Palena: 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 Palena 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 7 inhabited census areas in Palena. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 0.2%
- fair 99.8%
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 069060. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.