San Demetrio ne' Vestini: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in San Demetrio ne' Vestini
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 Colle 2, San Demetrio ne' Vestini.
San Demetrio ne' Vestini, the plateau of the Stiffe caves
About twenty kilometres from L'Aquila, on the plateau that drops towards the middle Aterno valley, San Demetrio ne' Vestini is a place to live for people who work in the city. In its hamlet of Stiffe are the Stiffe caves, with an underground river, open to visitors. Around it are fields, patches of woodland and the Sirente mountains in the background.
The municipality is split between the main village and several hamlets, with old stone village houses alongside newer areas of detached houses and small blocks. The age of the building matters a great deal: new or rebuilt properties follow recent anti-seismic rules, while older ones need checking one by one. Anyone working in L'Aquila has a short drive.
The village is growing. At the end of 2023 it had 1,948 residents according to Istat, the national statistics office, up 6.1% on 2011. It is also younger than the province, with an average age of 45.2 against 47.5 and over-65s at 22.4% against 26.4%. Foreign residents make up 15.1%.
San Demetrio is in seismic zone 1, the highest, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.261 g. Before buying, ask for the records of structural work, the structural test certificate and the certificate of fitness for use, and for buildings repaired with public grants make sure the file has been closed. The climate is cold, zone E, so insulation and heating matter too.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps, and the report traces any address to its land parcel in every hamlet.
Key points
- Plateau near L'Aquila, with the Stiffe caves.
- Population up 6.1% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 1: ask for test certificates.
- Average age 45.2, below the provincial figure.
Overview
San Demetrio ne' Vestini is a municipality in the province of L'Aquila, in Abruzzo. At the end of 2023 it had 1,948 residents, ranked 25 of 108 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Demetrio ne' Vestini 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 0.261 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in San Demetrio ne' Vestini, 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 grown by 6.1%. The estimated average age is 45 years, lower than the province average (48). 22% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 15.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Demetrio ne' Vestini declared an average taxable income of 20,811 euros, below the provincial average (22,903 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
San Demetrio ne' Vestini is in climate zone E, with 2,473 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 662 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, San Demetrio ne' Vestini has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop, 2 healthcare facilities and 1 green area.
There are 1.0 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.6).
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 6.0% of the land in San Demetrio ne' Vestini, compared with 3.2% in the province and 5.1% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.9 hectares.
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 open contaminated sites in San Demetrio ne' Vestini; one has been cleaned up or closed.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within San Demetrio ne' Vestini: 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 San Demetrio ne' Vestini 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 16 inhabited census areas in San Demetrio ne' Vestini. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 2.3%
- fair 97.7%
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 066087. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.