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San Severo: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Foggia, Puglia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in San Severo

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: Viale Due Giugno 1, San Severo.

San Severo, wine and baroque churches on the northern Tavoliere

San Severo is the main town of the northern Tavoliere, the broad plain north of Foggia, with the Gargano promontory to the east and the Daunian Mountains to the west. Vineyards, olive groves and wheat fields surround it, and its wine has its own appellation, San Severo DOC. The old centre is full of baroque churches, rebuilt after the strong earthquake that destroyed much of the town in the seventeenth century.

That earthquake says a lot about the place. San Severo is in seismic zone 2 on the Civil Protection Department's scale, and the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area, about 0.205 g, is high. In the province of Foggia 10 municipalities are in zone 1 and 51 in zone 2. For a masonry house in the old centre, a structural survey before buying is essential; for a flat, ask when the building was designed and whether it has been upgraded.

Transport links are good by local standards. The town has an exit on the A14 motorway, a station on the Adriatic railway and the terminus of the Ferrovie del Gargano, which runs towards Rodi Garganico and Peschici. People working in Foggia can choose between train and car.

The population is falling faster than elsewhere: 49,287 residents in 2023 according to Istat, the national statistics office, 10.2% fewer than in 2011, a loss of 5,619 people. The average age is 44.9, close to the provincial figure, and foreign residents make up 4.2%. Declared incomes are slightly below the provincial average.

The Revenue Agency publishes the land registry maps, so the report can trace an address to its plot. The plain is almost flat, and flooding depends on nearby channels and streams, which the report checks for the individual house.

Key points

  • Farming town of San Severo DOC wine, with baroque churches.
  • Seismic zone 2 with high expected acceleration, about 0.205 g.
  • 49,287 residents, down 10.2% since 2011.
  • A14 exit, Adriatic railway and the Ferrovie del Gargano.

Overview

San Severo is a municipality in the province of Foggia, in Puglia. At the end of 2023 it had 49,287 residents, among the most populous in the province (4 of 61).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Severo 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 0.205 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in San Severo, 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 10.2%. The estimated average age is 45 years, in line with the province. 23% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 4.2% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Severo declared an average taxable income of 17,932 euros, in line with the province (18,478 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

San Severo is in climate zone D, with 1,494 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 86 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, San Severo has 40 schools and 18 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 28 grocery shops and supermarkets, 35 healthcare facilities, 39 sports facilities and 5 parks and green areas.

There are 0.7 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 4.9% of the land in San Severo, compared with 4.1% in the province and 8.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 6.9 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

San Severo 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 5 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in San Severo, and 3 more have been cleaned up or closed. 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 San Severo: 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 Severo 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 127 inhabited census areas in San Severo. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 77 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.1%
  • fair 7.8%
  • good 69.0%
  • very good 23.2%

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 071051. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.