Santa Cesarea Terme: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Lecce, Puglia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Santa Cesarea Terme
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 Roma 1, Santa Cesarea Terme.
Santa Cesarea Terme, spa waters on the Salento coast
On the Adriatic coast of Salento, south of Otranto, the coast road runs high above the cliffs and at one point reaches Santa Cesarea Terme. The village grew up around the sulphur springs that rise in sea caves, still used by its spa, and among its buildings stands Villa Sticchi, with its Moorish-style domes.
Much of the housing market is second homes and tourism-related property: flats and villas with sea views along the coast, and simpler houses in the inland hamlets, where prices drop and people live all year. On the coast, pay close attention to exposure to wind and salt spray, which take a toll on window frames, render and the steel in concrete structures. Lecce, for the hospital, university and offices, is under an hour by car.
Permanent residents are mostly middle-aged or older. Istat, the national statistics office, counts 2,827 residents (2023), down 6.8% since 2011; the average age is 49.5, against 47.2 in the province, and over-65s are 31.4%. Foreign residents are 5.2%, and households are small, with 2.10 people on average.
Salento has low seismic risk: all 96 municipalities in the province of Lecce are in zone 4, and the expected ground acceleration here is 0.066 g. The climate is mild, in climate zone C, so keeping cool in summer and protecting against damp matter more than heating.
From the address, the report shows the price band, cadastral maps, services within reach and the official landslide and flood maps, useful along a rocky stretch of coast.
Key points
- Adriatic coast of Salento, south of Otranto
- Sulphur spa waters and many second homes
- Over-65s at 31.4%, against 26.1% in the province
- Seismic zone 4, expected acceleration 0.066 g
Overview
Santa Cesarea Terme is a municipality in the province of Lecce, in Puglia. At the end of 2023 it had 2,827 residents, ranked 73 of 96 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Santa Cesarea Terme 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 0.066 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 6.8%. The estimated average age is 50 years, higher than the province average (47). 31% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 5.2% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Santa Cesarea Terme declared an average taxable income of 18,569 euros, in line with the province (19,196 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Santa Cesarea Terme is in climate zone C, with 1,178 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 56 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Santa Cesarea Terme has 5 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 healthcare facility and 3 sports facilities.
There are 1.4 pharmacies per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.4).
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 10.7% of the land in Santa Cesarea Terme, compared with 14.1% in the province and 8.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 2.7 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Santa Cesarea Terme 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 medium. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.
Official databases list 2 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Santa Cesarea Terme. 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 Santa Cesarea Terme: 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 Santa Cesarea Terme 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 15 inhabited census areas in Santa Cesarea Terme. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 65 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 39.3%
- good 60.7%
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.
- 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 075072. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.