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Pizzoferrato: 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

Search for an address in Pizzoferrato

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 del Querceto 1, Pizzoferrato.

Pizzoferrato, above 1,000 metres over the Sangro valley

Beech woods, pasture and limestone outcrops surround Pizzoferrato, a mountain village in the province of Chieti built above 1,000 metres, on high ground overlooking the Sangro valley. Winters are long and snowy (climate zone F), and in summer the cool air brings holidaymakers, some of whom own a second home here. For services, secondary schools and the hospital you have to go down the valley, on drives that need planning, especially in winter.

Buying in Pizzoferrato means thinking like a high-mountain buyer. Heating weighs on the bills for many months of the year, snow on roofs and roads has to be dealt with, and the stone houses in the centre often have very thick walls but poor insulation. Before buying, ask for last winter's heating costs and the condition of the roof.

In 2023 there were 967 residents, 160 fewer than in 2011, a fall of 14.2% according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age is 51.7, against 47.4 in the province; over-65s are 29.2% and households average 1.86 people. The village has 7 bars and restaurants, partly thanks to tourism.

The province of Chieti has municipalities in three seismic zones, as classified by the Civil Protection Department, and Pizzoferrato is one of the 22 in zone 1, the highest class. Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is 0.204 g: for a masonry house, have an engineer check the structure and ask whether it has been strengthened.

Revenue Agency cadastral maps are published. The report traces the address to its land parcel and checks the official landslide and flood maps for that spot.

Key points

  • Mountain village above 1,000 metres, over the Sangro valley.
  • Climate zone F: ask for last winter's heating costs.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration 0.204 g.
  • 967 residents in 2023, 160 fewer than in 2011.

Overview

Pizzoferrato is a municipality in the province of Chieti, in Abruzzo. At the end of 2023 it had 967 residents, ranked 59 of 104 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Pizzoferrato 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 0.204 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Pizzoferrato, 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 14.2%. The estimated average age is 52 years, higher than the province average (47). 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 3.2% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Pizzoferrato declared an average taxable income of 18,406 euros, below the provincial average (21,427 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Pizzoferrato is in climate zone F, with 3,073 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 1,251 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Pizzoferrato has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 sports facility.

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 3.2% of the land in Pizzoferrato, 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 Pizzoferrato.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Pizzoferrato: 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 Pizzoferrato 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 Pizzoferrato. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 57 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 16.5%
  • fair 83.5%

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 069066. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.