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Presicce-Acquarica: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Presicce-Acquarica

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 Roma di Presicce 0, Presicce-Acquarica.

Presicce-Acquarica, two Cape of Leuca villages in one

The double name tells the recent story. In 2019 Presicce and Acquarica del Capo merged into a single municipality: two inland villages in southern Salento, towards the Cape of Leuca, a few kilometres apart across olive groves, dry-stone walls and old farmsteads, with the Ionian Sea a short drive to the west. Presicce has a historic centre with grand town houses and underground olive mills, old presses cut into the rock beneath the streets. Acquarica is known for weaving rushes.

In both old centres you find courtyard houses and stone homes with vaulted ceilings, often in need of renovation, while newer detached houses sit on the edges of the villages. Some buyers are looking for a holiday home, given how close the Ionian beaches are. In the surrounding groves you can still see olive trees killed by Xylella, a plant disease that has hit much of Salento.

The population has been falling for years. In 2023 there were 9,241 residents, down 11.9% on the combined total of the two former municipalities in 2011. The estimated average age is 48.5 against 47.2 for the province of Lecce, and over-65s make up 29.4%. Foreign residents are few, at 2.9%. Declared incomes are well below the provincial average, and house prices reflect that.

Earthquake hazard is low: all 96 municipalities in the province are in seismic zone 4, the lowest on the Civil Protection scale, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.061 g. In stone houses, rising damp in the walls and the state of vaults and roofs matter more, and are worth having a surveyor look at before signing.

There are no rivers here; water comes with heavy storms that fill the lowest ground, and the report checks the official flood maps at the address. The Revenue Agency publishes the cadastral maps, so the report can trace the plot of the building.

Key points

  • Formed in 2019 by merging Presicce and Acquarica del Capo.
  • Population down 11.9% since 2011, over-65s at 29.4%.
  • The whole province of Lecce is in seismic zone 4.
  • Stone houses in the old centres: have damp and vaults checked.

Overview

Presicce-Acquarica is a municipality in the province of Lecce, in Puglia. At the end of 2023 it had 9,241 residents, ranked 27 of 96 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Presicce-Acquarica is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 96 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.061 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

In zone 4 the risk is low, but for an older building it is still worth asking about the state of the structure.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 11.9%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 2.9% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Presicce-Acquarica declared an average taxable income of 14,835 euros, below the provincial average (19,196 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Presicce-Acquarica is in climate zone C, with 1,332 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 104 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Presicce-Acquarica has 6 schools. The Overture Maps data also lists 10 grocery shops and supermarkets, 8 healthcare facilities, 1 sports facility and 1 green area.

The data shows no pharmacies within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.4 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 14.8% of the land in Presicce-Acquarica, compared with 14.1% in the province and 8.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 3.1 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Presicce-Acquarica is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Puglia in 2025. 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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Presicce-Acquarica. 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 Presicce-Acquarica: 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 Presicce-Acquarica 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 39 inhabited census areas in Presicce-Acquarica. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 68 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.7%
  • fair 35.3%
  • good 57.1%
  • very good 6.9%

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 075098. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.