Palombara Sabina: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Roma, Lazio. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Palombara Sabina
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: Strada Provinciale Pascolare 1, Palombara Sabina.
Palombara Sabina, a castle town below Monte Gennaro
The old town is huddled around the Savelli castle, on a hill at the foot of Monte Gennaro, the peak of the Lucretili mountains that you can see from Rome. Palombara Sabina is one of the main towns of the Roman Sabina, north-east of the capital, in a landscape of olive groves, woodland and houses scattered over the hills.
In recent years it has drawn families who work in Rome and want more space for less money. The market offers houses in the old centre, often small and on several levels, blocks of flats in the districts that have grown at the foot of the hill, and detached houses in the countryside. The trade-off is the commute: you drive down to Rome on busy provincial roads, and journey times depend heavily on the hour.
There are 12,988 residents (2023), up 6.7% since 2011. The average age is 45.0, 21.4% are over 65 and foreign residents make up 10.7%. Average incomes are well below the metropolitan area figure, which is pushed up by Rome itself. There are plenty of sports facilities for a town of this size.
Most municipalities in the province of Rome, 97 out of 121, are in seismic zone 2, as classified by the Civil Protection Department, and Palombara is one of them, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.148 g. In the masonry houses of the old town, check the state of the roofs and timber floors and ask whether any strengthening work has been done.
Between the hill, the slopes of the Lucretili and the streams running down to the Tiber, landslide and flood hazard depend on the exact spot. The report checks them for the address, using the cadastral maps published by the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate).
Key points
- Old town wrapped around the Savelli castle, below Monte Gennaro.
- Population up 6.7% since 2011, families moving out of Rome.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.148 g.
- Commute to Rome on provincial roads: journey times vary.
Overview
Palombara Sabina is a municipality in the province of Roma, in Lazio. At the end of 2023 it had 12,988 residents, ranked 36 of 121 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Palombara Sabina 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 (97 of 121) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.148 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Palombara Sabina, 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 6.7%. The estimated average age is 45 years, in line with the province. 21% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 10.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Palombara Sabina declared an average taxable income of 21,788 euros, below the provincial average (28,682 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Palombara Sabina is in climate zone D, with 2,012 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 372 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Palombara Sabina has 8 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 5 grocery shops and supermarkets, 5 healthcare facilities, 21 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.
There are 0.4 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.8).
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 6.6% of the land in Palombara Sabina, compared with 13.2% in the province and 8.2% 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 Palombara Sabina.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Palombara Sabina: 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 Palombara Sabina 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 40 inhabited census areas in Palombara Sabina. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 55 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 6.9%
- fair 65.0%
- good 28.2%
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 058075. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.