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Roccaraso: 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 Roccaraso

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 Napoli 1, Roccaraso.

Roccaraso, ski slopes and long winters in the upper Sangro

Roccaraso is a ski resort in the central Apennines. The village sits above twelve hundred metres in the upper Sangro area, on the edge of the Cinque Miglia plateau, and in winter its lifts draw skiers. In summer the cool mountain air brings a different, quieter kind of visitor. Sulmona and Castel di Sangro are the nearby towns for services.

The property market is tied to tourism: alongside village houses there are blocks of flats, holiday residences and apartments built as skiing developed. For buyers, the state of shared areas, service charges, insulation and the heating system all matter, given the climate: climate zone F, long winters and frequent snow. On the slopes, the report checks the gradient, elevation and official landslide maps at the address.

According to Istat, the national statistics office, there were 1,485 residents in 2023, down 9.2% on 2011. The average age is 48.7, against 47.5 for the province of L'Aquila; over-65s make up 27.9% and foreign residents 6.1%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Earthquake risk should not be underestimated. Roccaraso is in seismic zone 1, the highest on the Civil Protection Department scale, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.260 g; 103 of the 108 municipalities in the province of L'Aquila are in zone 1. For a flat in a 1970s or 1980s block, ask the building manager whether the structure has been assessed or strengthened.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps for the whole municipality.

Key points

  • Ski resort in the upper Sangro, above twelve hundred metres.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration 0.260 g.
  • Population down 9.2% since 2011.
  • Holiday blocks: ask about service charges and structural checks.

Overview

Roccaraso is a municipality in the province of L'Aquila, in Abruzzo. At the end of 2023 it had 1,485 residents, ranked 33 of 108 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Roccaraso 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 0.260 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Roccaraso, 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 9.2%. The estimated average age is 49 years, in line with the province. 28% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 6.1% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Roccaraso declared an average taxable income of 19,828 euros, below the provincial average (22,903 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Roccaraso is in climate zone F, with 3,218 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 1,236 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Roccaraso has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 4 grocery shops and supermarkets, 7 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.

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 3.4% of the land in Roccaraso, compared with 3.2% in the province and 5.1% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.7 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Official databases list no open contaminated sites in Roccaraso; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Roccaraso: 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 Roccaraso 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 24 inhabited census areas in Roccaraso. 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 066084. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.