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Pianella: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Pianella

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 Papa Giovanni Xxiii 1, Pianella.

Pianella, an olive-growing hill inland from Pescara

Pianella sits on a hill in the Pescara hinterland, a little over two hundred metres up, on the slopes that rise from the valley of the river Pescara towards the interior. The sea is about twenty kilometres away and the Majella massif fills the southern skyline. The town is ringed by olive groves and vineyards, and this is one of the areas that produce Aprutino Pescarese, a protected-origin extra virgin olive oil. Its best-known monument is the Romanesque church of Santa Maria Maggiore, just outside the centre.

People who choose Pianella often work in Pescara, Chieti or the business areas down in the valley, and they drive, as there is no railway in town. The old centre is a tight cluster of masonry houses; newer building has spread along the ridges and into the countryside, often detached houses with a plot of land. On the clay hills of this part of Abruzzo, ground stability varies from one plot to the next, so look at the slope of the land before you look at the price.

The population is holding steady. At the end of 2023 there were 8,527 residents, up 1.1% on 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office, and the estimated average age of 45.3 is lower than the provincial 46.6. Over-65s make up 22.7% against 24.8% in the province, and foreign residents 4.6%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average, as in many farming towns inland.

Earthquake risk deserves attention. Pianella is in seismic zone 2 in the Civil Protection classification, along with 27 other municipalities in the province, while 18 are in zone 1, the most hazardous. Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.173 g. For a stone house in the old centre, ask whether walls and floors have been strengthened and what work was done; for a newer building, ask for the date of the structural design.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps for Pianella, so the report goes from the address to the plot. Landslides on the slopes and flooding along the valley ditches are checked at the exact spot, not as an average for the town.

Key points

  • Olive-covered hills about twenty kilometres from the sea at Pescara.
  • Population up 1.1% since 2011, average age 45.3.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.173 g.
  • No railway: Pescara and Chieti are reached by car.

Overview

Pianella is a municipality in the province of Pescara, in Abruzzo. At the end of 2023 it had 8,527 residents, ranked 7 of 46 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Pianella is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (28 of 46) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.173 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Pianella, 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 1.1%. The estimated average age is 45 years, in line with the province. 23% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 4.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.5 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Pianella declared an average taxable income of 19,852 euros, below the provincial average (23,063 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Pianella is in climate zone D, with 1,414 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 236 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Pianella has 5 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 8 grocery shops and supermarkets, 2 healthcare facilities, 5 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.

There are 0.2 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.9).

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 6.7% of the land in Pianella, compared with 7.3% in the province and 5.1% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 2.3 hectares.

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 2 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Pianella, 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 Pianella: 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 Pianella 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 26 inhabited census areas in Pianella. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 61 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 73.1%
  • good 26.9%

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 068030. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.