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Petacciato: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Petacciato

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 Napoli 1, Petacciato.

Petacciato, hill village and Adriatic seafront

Petacciato is one of the few municipalities in Molise that face the Adriatic. It has two sides: the old village on a hill a short distance from the sea, and the marina, which grew along the coast with holiday homes, campsites and beach clubs. Termoli is close by and is the reference for work, hospital and secondary schools. The A14 motorway and the Adriatic railway both run along the coast.

Anyone considering a purchase should know that the two parts of the municipality are separate markets. At the marina there are mostly flats and detached houses used in summer, many of them shut in winter; in the village are the homes of year-round residents, older and gathered around the centre.

Before buying it is worth checking the exact address: the report does so with the official landslide and flood hazard maps.

There were 3,511 residents in 2023, down 3.5% since 2011, according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age, 45.9, is lower than in the province (47.6), and over-65s are 24.1%. Foreign residents are 4.0%.

The province of Campobasso has municipalities in all three of the higher seismic zones; Petacciato is in zone 3, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.107 g. The Revenue Agency's cadastral maps are available.

Key points

  • Hill village and Adriatic seafront, close to Termoli.
  • Hill and seafront: check the address on landslide and flood maps.
  • 3,511 residents in 2023, average age 45.9.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.107 g.

Overview

Petacciato is a municipality in the province of Campobasso, in Molise. At the end of 2023 it had 3,511 residents, ranked 13 of 84 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Petacciato is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Only 9 of 84 municipalities in the province are in zone 3.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.107 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

Even in zone 3, seismic standards apply to new buildings: for an older building, ask about the design year and any structural work.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 3.5%. The estimated average age is 46 years, lower than the province average (48). 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 4.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Petacciato declared an average taxable income of 18,936 euros, below the provincial average (19,995 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Petacciato is in climate zone D, with 1,594 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 225 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Petacciato has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop.

The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.5 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 6.2% of the land in Petacciato, compared with 4.3% in the province and 4.0% 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 no contaminated sites in Petacciato.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Petacciato: 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 Petacciato 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 27 inhabited census areas in Petacciato. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 63 or more.

Residents by band

  • poor 0.3%
  • modest 9.4%
  • fair 51.0%
  • good 39.3%

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 070051. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.