Santa Croce del Sannio: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Benevento, Campania. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Santa Croce del Sannio
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: Corso Generale de Maria 1, Santa Croce del Sannio.
Santa Croce del Sannio, inland hills towards Molise
Santa Croce del Sannio is a hill village in the province of Benevento, in the innermost part of the Sannio, towards the border with Molise. The centre is at around 700 metres, in a landscape of hills farmed for wheat and fodder, pastures and woods. Benevento, with its hospital, offices and secondary schools, is reached by car on hill roads.
Buyers here mostly find masonry houses in the centre, often on two or three floors, and some country houses. Before signing, look at the state of the roof and services, damp and heating consumption: the climate zone is E, with cold, windy winters.
At the end of 2023 there were 859 residents, down 12.8% since 2011, when there were 985. The average age is 48.1, against 46.5 in the province, over-65s are 26.3% and foreign residents 5.7%. Average declared income is below the provincial figure.
Earthquakes come first here. Santa Croce del Sannio is in seismic zone 1, the highest on the scale set by the Civil Protection Department, like 47 other municipalities in the province of Benevento, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.243 g. Before buying, have an engineer assess the structure, ask for the paperwork on any upgrading works and look into the tax incentives for anti-seismic works.
On the Sannio hills, the report checks the official landslide hazard maps for the exact address. Revenue Agency cadastral maps cover the municipality, so the land parcel can be traced from the address.
Key points
- Inland Sannio, towards the Molise border.
- Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration about 0.243 g.
- 859 residents, down 12.8% since 2011.
- Structural survey before buying.
Overview
Santa Croce del Sannio is a municipality in the province of Benevento, in Campania. At the end of 2023 it had 859 residents, among the smallest in the province (70 of 78).
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Santa Croce del Sannio is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (48 of 78) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.243 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Santa Croce del Sannio, 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 12.8%. The estimated average age is 48 years, higher than the province average (46). 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 21%). Foreign residents make up 5.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Santa Croce del Sannio declared an average taxable income of 17,860 euros, below the provincial average (19,496 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Santa Croce del Sannio is in climate zone E, with 2,287 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 689 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Santa Croce del Sannio has 1 school and 1 pharmacy.
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 6.5% of the land in Santa Croce del Sannio, compared with 7.4% in the province and 10.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land shrank by 1.5 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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Santa Croce del Sannio. 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 Croce del Sannio: 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 Croce del Sannio 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 10 inhabited census areas in Santa Croce del Sannio. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 100.0%
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 062069. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.