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Pescina: 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 Pescina

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 Sarentina 1, Pescina.

Pescina, home town of Silone and Mazarin on the Giovenco

Ignazio Silone, the author of Fontamara, and Cardinal Jules Mazarin (Giulio Mazzarino), chief minister of France in the seventeenth century, were both born in Pescina. The town stands on the Giovenco river where its valley opens onto the Fucino plain, in the Marsica area of Abruzzo, at over 700 metres. The A25 motorway has an exit named after the town, and Avezzano is a short drive away.

Like many places in the Marsica, Pescina was destroyed by the 1915 earthquake and rebuilt during the twentieth century, so the remains of the old core on the hill sit alongside newer houses. For buyers it matters which of the two a house is in: the upper core has stone buildings to restore, while the rebuilt areas have newer flats and detached houses.

The population is falling sharply: 3,670 residents in 2023, 13.9% fewer than in 2011, or 594 people, according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age is 48.8 and over-65s make up 29.3%, more than the 26.4% of the province of L'Aquila. For a town this size services are good: 5 school sites, 4 healthcare facilities and 3 pharmacies. Declared incomes are a little below the provincial average.

Earthquakes come first. Pescina is in seismic zone 1, the highest in the Civil Protection classification (the national emergency agency), like 102 other municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.260 g in the built-up area. Before buying, ask for the design, any strengthening work and reconstruction paperwork, and have an engineer look at the building. Along the Giovenco and on the slopes, the report checks the official flood and landslide maps for the address.

Key points

  • Birthplace of Ignazio Silone and Cardinal Mazarin, on the Giovenco.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration about 0.260 g.
  • 3,670 residents, down 13.9% since 2011.
  • 4 healthcare facilities and 5 school sites.

Overview

Pescina is a municipality in the province of L'Aquila, in Abruzzo. At the end of 2023 it had 3,670 residents, ranked 15 of 108 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Pescina 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 0.260 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Pescina, 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 13.9%. The estimated average age is 49 years, in line with the province. 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 9.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Pescina declared an average taxable income of 21,871 euros, in line with the province (22,903 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Pescina is in climate zone E, with 2,604 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 735 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Pescina has 5 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets, 4 healthcare facilities and 2 sports facilities.

There are 1.1 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.6).

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 4.7% of the land in Pescina, compared with 3.2% in the province and 5.1% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 3.2 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Official databases list one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Pescina. 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 Pescina: 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 Pescina 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 17 inhabited census areas in Pescina. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 100.0%

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 066069. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.