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Pontebba: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Pontebba

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: Frazione Laglesie San Leopoldo 1, Pontebba.

Pontebba, on the Fella between Canal del Ferro and Val Canale

Until the First World War the Pontebbana stream separated Italian Pontebba from Austrian Pontafel. Today it is a single mountain municipality on the river Fella, on the route from Udine to Tarvisio and Austria. The Pontebbana railway and the A23 motorway run through the valley, and the town has its own station, so Udine is within reach by train or car without leaving the valley.

Above the town a road climbs to the Pramollo pass on the border, where the Nassfeld ski area operates in winter. This is proper mountain climate, zone F, with long snowy winters: for a house here, insulation, heating and the roof matter most.

There were 1,284 residents in 2023, according to Istat, the national statistics office, down 14.6% on 2011. The average age is 51.2 against 48.5 in the province of Udine, and over-65s are 32.1%, more than the provincial 27.8%. Foreign residents are 5.1%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Pontebba is in seismic zone 2, like 70 other municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.196 g. After the 1976 Friuli earthquake many buildings were rebuilt or strengthened, so always ask how old the structure is and what work is documented.

Property here follows the tavolare system inherited from Austria: rights over land and buildings are registered in the Land Book (Libro fondiario), which the notary checks alongside the cadastre. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) still publishes its maps, so the report finds the land parcel. In a narrow valley, landslides and floods from the Fella are checked address by address on the official maps.

Key points

  • Border town on the Fella, with a station and the A23 motorway.
  • Tavolare land registry: ownership is checked in the Land Book.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.196 g.
  • Population down 14.6% since 2011.

Overview

Pontebba is a municipality in the province of Udine, in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. At the end of 2023 it had 1,284 residents, ranked 92 of 134 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Pontebba is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (71 of 134) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.196 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Pontebba, 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 14.6%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (49). 32% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 5.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Pontebba declared an average taxable income of 23,472 euros, below the provincial average (25,508 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Pontebba is in climate zone F, with 3,627 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 568 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Pontebba has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 4 grocery shops and supermarkets and 2 sports facilities.

The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.6 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 1.9% of the land in Pontebba, compared with 6.8% in the province and 8.1% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.1 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Pontebba is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia in 2024. 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 open contaminated sites in Pontebba; 3 have been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Pontebba: 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

Pontebba uses the tavolare (land book) system, but the Revenue Agency still publishes the maps: the report finds the building's parcel, that is its sheet and parcel number, starting from the address.

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 23 inhabited census areas in Pontebba. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 61 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.6%
  • fair 76.0%
  • good 23.4%

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 030076. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.