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Prezza: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Prezza

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 Bugnara 1, Prezza.

Prezza, a village overlooking the Peligna valley

Prezza looks down on the Valle Peligna, the basin around Sulmona in inland Abruzzo, from a hillside at about 480 metres. Below lie the fields and villages of the valley floor, and all around are the mountains of the Abruzzo interior. Sulmona is the town for hospital, secondary schools, offices and trains, with connections on to Rome and Pescara.

The village has emptied a great deal. At the end of 2023 there were 847 residents, 168 fewer than the 1,015 of 2011, a fall of 16.6%, according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age is 51.3, against 47.5 for the province of L'Aquila, and over-65s are 33.9%. Foreign residents are 4.0%. Average declared incomes are below the provincial average.

For a buyer, the first question is the structure. Prezza is in seismic zone 1 (zone 1 is the most hazardous), like 103 of the 108 municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.259 g. For an old stone house, ask whether checks or strengthening work were carried out after the earthquakes of recent decades, and what paperwork exists; without it, an engineer's survey before completion is the first money to spend.

Houses in the centre are packed together along sloping streets, with little room for cars. The climate is zone E, with cold winters. On the slopes landslide hazard varies from one spot to the next: the report reads it from the official maps together with the gradient of the ground.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, so from the address the report reaches the land parcel.

Key points

  • On a hillside overlooking the Peligna valley, near Sulmona.
  • Population down 16.6% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration about 0.259 g.
  • Older houses: ask for documented checks and strengthening.

Overview

Prezza is a municipality in the province of L'Aquila, in Abruzzo. At the end of 2023 it had 847 residents, ranked 56 of 108 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Prezza is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (103 of 108) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.259 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Prezza, 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 16.6%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (48). 34% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 4.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Prezza declared an average taxable income of 18,195 euros, below the provincial average (22,903 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Prezza is in climate zone E, with 2,148 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 October to 15 April, for up to 14 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 480 metres above sea level.

Services

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

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 1.1 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 4.2% of the land in Prezza, compared with 3.2% 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 Prezza.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Prezza: 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 Prezza 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 13 inhabited census areas in Prezza. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 100.0%

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 066076. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.