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Pozzuoli: 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 Pozzuoli

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 Montenuovo Licola Patria 1, Pozzuoli.

Pozzuoli, the Campi Flegrei and ground uplift

Pozzuoli is the heart of the Campi Flegrei, the large volcanic caldera west of Naples. Ferries leave the harbour for Ischia and Procida, the Rione Terra looks over the bay, and among the houses you find the Flavian amphitheatre, the so-called Temple of Serapis and the Solfatara crater. The municipality also includes Arco Felice, Lucrino, Monterusciello and part of Licola.

The main issue for buyers here is bradyseism (bradisismo), the slow rising and sinking of the ground. In recent years the ground has been rising again and tremors have become more frequent and stronger, damaging some buildings. Pozzuoli lies within the red zone of the Campi Flegrei emergency plan drawn up by the Civil Protection Department. Before buying, ask whether the building has been inspected since the recent tremors, what vulnerability surveys have been carried out and whether any works or grant applications are under way. Monterusciello, the district built in the 1980s for people who left the centre during an earlier crisis, has newer buildings.

In the national classification Pozzuoli is in seismic zone 2, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.163 g. Uplift-related earthquakes are shallow, however, and are strongly felt even at moderate magnitudes.

The population is falling: 76,255 residents in 2023, 5.1% fewer than in 2011, according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age is 44.6 and over-65s make up 21.6%, slightly more than in the province of Naples; foreign residents account for 2.9%. Tourism shows in the services: 517 cafés and restaurants, 6.78 per 1,000 residents against 4.49 in the province.

For Naples there are the Cumana railway, metro line 2 and the Tangenziale ring road, which ends in Pozzuoli.

Key points

  • Ferries to Ischia and Procida, the Rione Terra, the Solfatara.
  • In the Campi Flegrei red zone: ground uplift needs weighing up.
  • 76,255 residents, down 5.1% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.163 g.

Overview

Pozzuoli is a municipality in the province of Napoli, in Campania. At the end of 2023 it had 76,255 residents, among the most populous in the province (4 of 92).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Pozzuoli 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 0.163 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Pozzuoli, 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 5.1%. The estimated average age is 45 years, in line with the province. 22% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 21%). Foreign residents make up 2.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.6 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Pozzuoli declared an average taxable income of 22,227 euros, in line with the province (21,545 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Pozzuoli is in climate zone C, with 979 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 28 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Pozzuoli has 82 schools and 23 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 37 grocery shops and supermarkets, 37 healthcare facilities, 75 sports facilities and 19 parks and green areas.

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 33.4% of the land in Pozzuoli, compared with 34.9% in the province and 10.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 4.1 hectares.

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 13 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Pozzuoli, and 7 more have 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 Pozzuoli: 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 Pozzuoli 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 357 inhabited census areas in Pozzuoli. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 63 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 2.5%
  • fair 58.8%
  • good 38.7%

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 063060. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.