San Nicandro Garganico: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Foggia, Puglia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in San Nicandro Garganico
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 Antonio Gramsci 1, San Nicandro Garganico.
San Nicandro Garganico, from the Gargano to Lake Lesina
From the town you can see Lake Lesina. San Nicandro stands on the north-western side of the Gargano promontory, on high ground between the woods and the coastal plain, and the municipality reaches down to the Adriatic at the beach resort of Torre Mileto, on the coast between the Lesina and Varano lagoons. The Gargano railway, which starts from San Severo, has a station in the town.
This is a town that is emptying. There were 13,618 residents in 2023, down 14.5% on 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office, or 2,309 fewer people. The population is older than the province of Foggia: estimated mean age 48.0 against 45.2, over-65s at 29.0% against 23.3%. Foreign residents are 4.0%, and declared incomes are below the provincial average.
For buyers, that means plenty of houses on offer in the old centre and older districts, at low prices but often needing work, and a separate market on the coast made up of summer homes. It pays to visit more than once and get an idea of renovation costs before negotiating.
The Gargano has a significant earthquake history. San Nicandro is in seismic zone 2 of the Civil Protection classification, but the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area, about 0.202 g, is on the high side, and 10 municipalities in the province are in zone 1. In masonry houses, especially those extended or raised over time, a structural survey before completion is the most useful money you can spend.
The slopes of the promontory can slide and the plain towards the lagoon is low-lying; the report checks both on the official maps for the individual address. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps.
Key points
- On the Gargano above Lake Lesina, with the Torre Mileto coast.
- Population down 14.5%, over-65s at 29.0%.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.202 g.
- Station on the Gargano railway.
Overview
San Nicandro Garganico is a municipality in the province of Foggia, in Puglia. At the end of 2023 it had 13,618 residents, ranked 9 of 61 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Nicandro Garganico is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (51 of 61) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.202 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in San Nicandro Garganico, 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 14.5%. The estimated average age is 48 years, higher than the province average (45). 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 4.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Nicandro Garganico declared an average taxable income of 16,095 euros, below the provincial average (18,478 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
San Nicandro Garganico is in climate zone D, with 1,633 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 1 November to 15 April, for up to 12 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 224 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, San Nicandro Garganico has 10 schools and 5 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 8 grocery shops and supermarkets, 4 healthcare facilities, 5 sports facilities and 3 parks and green areas.
There are 0.3 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer 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 2.9% of the land in San Nicandro Garganico, compared with 4.1% in the province and 8.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.9 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
San Nicandro Garganico 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 no open contaminated sites in San Nicandro Garganico; one has been cleaned up or closed.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within San Nicandro Garganico: 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 Nicandro Garganico 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 56 inhabited census areas in San Nicandro Garganico. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 71 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 0.3%
- fair 11.0%
- good 88.8%
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.
- Radon priority areas (Legislative Decree 101/2020), Regione Puglia, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2025.
- 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 071049. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.