San Massimo: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Campobasso, Molise. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in San Massimo
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 Canonica 1, San Massimo.
San Massimo, a Matese village with the Campitello slopes
San Massimo has two sides. The village itself sits on the Molise side of the Matese mountains, above the Bojano plain, at around 600 metres; higher up, within the municipal boundary, is Campitello Matese, the ski resort of the Molise side of the Matese, built for winter tourism with hotels, residences and holiday flats.
Buyers first need to decide which of the two they are looking at. In the village there are family houses, often with a bit of land, lived in all year; at Campitello the market is seasonal homes, where service charges, high-altitude heating and the condition of buildings put up for holidaymakers all matter. Either way winters are cold, climate zone E in the village and harsher still higher up.
The population is almost stable: according to Istat, the national statistics office, there were 823 residents in 2023, just 13 fewer than in 2011. The average age of 47.7 is in line with the province of Campobasso (47.6), and over-65s make up 22.0%, below the provincial 26.5%. Foreign residents account for 5.6%. Declared incomes are close to the provincial average.
The Matese is earthquake country: San Massimo is in seismic zone 1, the highest on the Civil Protection scale, like only 11 of the 84 municipalities in the province, while 64 are in zone 2. Expected ground acceleration in the village is about 0.268 g. For a village house or a flat at Campitello, ask for the design date and any structural assessments.
On the Matese slopes, landslides and rockfall are checked on the official maps for the exact address. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps here, and the report traces the land parcel from the address.
Key points
- Matese village with the Campitello ski resort.
- Seismic zone 1, like 11 municipalities in the province.
- Residents almost stable since 2011, over-65s at 22.0%.
- Family homes in the village, seasonal homes higher up.
Overview
San Massimo is a municipality in the province of Campobasso, in Molise. At the end of 2023 it had 823 residents, ranked 50 of 84 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Massimo is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Only 11 of 84 municipalities in the province are in zone 1.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.268 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in San Massimo, 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 1.6%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 22% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 5.6% of the population. On average, a household has 1.8 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Massimo declared an average taxable income of 19,673 euros, in line with the province (19,995 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
San Massimo is in climate zone E, with 2,173 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 630 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, San Massimo has 1 school and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 sports facilities and 1 green area.
The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.7 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 3.8% of the land in San Massimo, compared with 4.3% in the province and 4.0% 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 San Massimo.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within San Massimo: 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 Massimo 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 Massimo. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 0.1%
- fair 99.9%
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 070070. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.