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Ruffano: 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 Ruffano

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 Santa Maria di Leuca 0, Ruffano.

Ruffano and Torrepaduli, on the ridges of southern Salento

Ruffano lies on the Serre salentine, the low ridges that cross the southern tip of Salento, inland between Casarano and Tricase. The municipality includes Torrepaduli, the hamlet where the feast of San Rocco in mid-August draws large crowds for a night of pizzica, the local folk dance, and the traditional knife dance. The town has an old stone centre, low houses often built around a courtyard and, beyond them, newer streets of detached homes and olive groves.

The sea is close on both sides: the Adriatic and the Ionian coasts are each about twenty minutes away by car. Buyers usually find lower prices and more space than on the coast, and will need a car for almost everything. Average declared incomes are below the average for the province of Lecce. The climate zone is C, with hot summers and mild but damp winters.

At the end of 2023 there were 9,305 residents, down 5.6% on 2011. The average age of 45.8 is lower than in the province as a whole (47.2), and people over 65 make up 24.6% compared with 26.1%. Foreign residents account for 3.0%.

Earthquake risk is low: all 96 municipalities in the province are in seismic zone 4, the lowest class set by the Civil Protection Department, and expected ground acceleration in Ruffano is about 0.059 g. In older houses, rising damp in the tufa and stone walls, the condition of the flat roofs and vaulted ceilings, and the state of the wiring and plumbing matter more.

Salento has no rivers, and after storms water collects in hollows and in vore, karst sinkholes that drain it underground. The report starts from the land parcel on the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) maps and checks the official maps to see whether the address lies in an area prone to flooding.

Key points

  • On the Serre salentine ridges, including the hamlet of Torrepaduli.
  • Adriatic and Ionian beaches about twenty minutes' drive away.
  • 9,305 residents, down 5.6% since 2011.
  • The whole province is in seismic zone 4.

Overview

Ruffano is a municipality in the province of Lecce, in Puglia. At the end of 2023 it had 9,305 residents, ranked 26 of 96 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Ruffano 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 0.059 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 5.6%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 3.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Ruffano declared an average taxable income of 15,982 euros, below the provincial average (19,196 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Ruffano is in climate zone C, with 1,362 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 127 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Ruffano has 7 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 7 grocery shops and supermarkets, 5 healthcare facilities, 7 sports facilities and 1 green area.

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 13.2% of the land in Ruffano, compared with 14.1% in the province and 8.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 8.7 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Ruffano 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 Ruffano. 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 Ruffano: 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 Ruffano 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 42 inhabited census areas in Ruffano. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 68 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 35.9%
  • good 64.1%

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 075064. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.