Rieti: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Rieti, Lazio. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Rieti
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 Giuseppe Garibaldi 2, Rieti.
Rieti, at the centre of Italy
An old tradition calls Rieti the navel of Italy, the geographical centre of the peninsula. The city lies in a basin crossed by the river Velino, on the ancient Via Salaria road, with Monte Terminillo behind it and all around it the valley of Franciscan sanctuaries such as Greccio and Fonte Colombo.
Rieti is the largest municipality in a province of 73, many of them small, and holds 30.2% of its population: 45,286 residents at the end of 2023, around 2% fewer than at the 2011 census. The estimated average age is 47.6, compared with 48.1 for the province, and over-65s make up 26.2%. Foreign residents account for 8.1%.
For anyone buying in this area, earthquakes are a central issue. In the province 13 municipalities are in seismic zone 1, the highest class, and the other 60 in zone 2. Under Lazio's regional classification, Rieti's municipal area is split between sub-zones 2A and 2B. The expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.187 g, a medium-high value. Before buying, ask for the building's design date, any seismic assessment, and paperwork for any strengthening work.
Compared with the rest of the province, services are concentrated in the city: Overture Maps data record 47 healthcare facilities (1.04 per 1,000 residents against 0.51) and 43 schools (0.95 against 1.30). Pharmacies are less common per head, however: 14 on the Ministry of Health list, 0.31 per 1,000 residents against a provincial average of 0.57.
Rieti's cadastral maps are published by the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate), and the report uses them to find the sheet and parcel (foglio and particella). Between the Velino plain and the mountain slopes, landslide and flood hazard and local prices are checked for the address, not for the municipality as a whole.
Key points
- Largest municipality in the province, with 30.2% of residents.
- Population down around 2% since 2011.
- Seismic sub-zones 2A and 2B; 13 municipalities in the province in zone 1.
- More healthcare facilities per resident than the provincial average.
Overview
Rieti is the capital of the province of Rieti, in Lazio. At the end of 2023 it had 45,286 residents, the most populous municipality in the province. 30% of the province's residents live here.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Rieti is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. The region uses a finer breakdown: here the classification is 2A-2B. Most municipalities in the province (60 of 73) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.187 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Rieti, 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 2.0%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 8.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Rieti declared an average taxable income of 25,610 euros, above the provincial average (22,743 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Rieti is in climate zone E, with 2,324 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 405 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Rieti has 43 schools and 14 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 35 grocery shops and supermarkets, 47 healthcare facilities, 47 sports facilities and 6 parks and green areas.
There are 1.0 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.5).
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 7.3% of the land in Rieti, compared with 3.2% in the province and 8.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 4.9 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Official databases list 4 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Rieti, 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 Rieti: 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 Rieti 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 492 inhabited census areas in Rieti. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 69 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 4.4%
- fair 25.2%
- good 67.2%
- very good 3.2%
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
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Contaminated sites, ISPRA, MOSAICO - Banca dati nazionale dei siti oggetto di procedimento di bonifica. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 12 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 057059. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.