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Pompei: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Pompei

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 Nolana 1, Pompei.

Pompei, the excavations, the shrine and Vesuvius behind

Pompei revolves around two places: the archaeological park and the shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary, around which the modern town grew from the late nineteenth century on the initiative of Bartolo Longo. The municipality lies on the plain between Vesuvius and the Sarno valley, south-east of Naples, bordering Scafati and Torre Annunziata.

It is one of the best connected towns in the area. The Circumvesuviana, the local railway, has stations on its Sorrento and Poggiomarino lines, the national railway has a station on the Naples to Salerno line, and the Salerno motorway has an exit at Pompei. Tourism is central to the economy: there are 244 cafés and restaurants, far more per resident than the provincial average, and near the excavations short-term lets to visitors are common.

The most important thing to know is that Pompei is in the red zone of Vesuvius, the area the Civil Protection Department's emergency plan would evacuate if the volcano became active again. Buyers should read the plan and the town council's guidance. In the red zone regional rules have restricted new housing for years, which makes the planning compliance of existing homes all the more important.

For earthquakes the municipality is in seismic zone 2, like 75 other municipalities in the metropolitan area, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.132 g; ask for the structural design and checks on any building. There were 23,800 residents at the end of 2023, down 6.4% on 2011, according to Istat, the national statistics office. The estimated average age is 43.9 and households average 2.62 people.

Towards the Sarno and the drainage canals on the plain, flood hazard varies from street to street and must be read for the address, which the report does on the official maps along with the land parcel from the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastre. Archaeological restrictions near the excavations, on the other hand, need checking with the council and the Soprintendenza, the state heritage office.

Key points

  • In the Vesuvius red zone: read the emergency plan.
  • Local railway, Naples to Salerno line and a motorway exit.
  • 23,800 residents, down 6.4% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.132 g.

Overview

Pompei is a municipality in the province of Napoli, in Campania. At the end of 2023 it had 23,800 residents, ranked 34 of 92 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Pompei is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (76 of 92) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.132 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Pompei, 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 6.4%. The estimated average age is 44 years, in line with the province. 21% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 21%). Foreign residents make up 3.2% of the population. On average, a household has 2.6 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Pompei declared an average taxable income of 20,618 euros, in line with the province (21,545 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Pompei is in climate zone C, with 1,131 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 November to 31 March, for up to 10 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 14 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Pompei has 32 schools and 7 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 24 grocery shops and supermarkets, 21 healthcare facilities, 21 sports facilities and 7 parks and green areas.

There are 1.0 grocery shops and supermarkets 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 45.1% of the land in Pompei, compared with 34.9% in the province and 10.6% 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 medium. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.

Official databases list 3 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Pompei, 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 Pompei: 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 Pompei 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 108 inhabited census areas in Pompei. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 65 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 2.3%
  • fair 44.2%
  • good 53.5%

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 063058. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.