Santa Maria la Fossa: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Caserta, Campania. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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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 Umberto Primo 1, Santa Maria la Fossa.
Santa Maria la Fossa, on the Volturno plain
Santa Maria la Fossa is a lowland municipality in the province of Caserta, in the lower Volturno valley between Capua and Grazzanise. The river runs close to the village and the flat, low land is made up of fields, drainage canals and buffalo farms: this is one of the production areas of buffalo mozzarella. Caserta and Capua are the reference points for services, secondary schools and jobs.
Homes are mostly detached houses on one or two floors, often with a yard, or rural buildings tied to farms. For a buyer, the first question is water: near the Volturno and the canals, the official flood maps must be read for the exact address. The climate is mild (zone C), and declared incomes are below the provincial average.
The population is relatively young. Istat, the national statistics office, counts 2,540 residents in 2023, down 5.3% since 2011; the average age is 43.1, the same as in the province of Caserta (43.1), with 17.8% over 65 and 6.7% foreign residents.
Santa Maria la Fossa is in seismic zone 2, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.106 g, lower than in the Apennine towns but not negligible. For a house built before recent codes, ask for the design date and the structural documents.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastre is published: the report traces the address to its land parcel, with flood maps and services measured from the exact location of the house.
Key points
- Volturno plain between Capua and Grazzanise
- Buffalo country: fields, canals and farms
- 2,540 residents, average age 43.1
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.106 g
Overview
Santa Maria la Fossa is a municipality in the province of Caserta, in Campania. At the end of 2023 it had 2,540 residents, ranked 69 of 104 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Santa Maria la Fossa is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (96 of 104) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.106 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Santa Maria la Fossa, 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 5.3%. The estimated average age is 43 years, in line with the province. 18% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 21%). Foreign residents make up 6.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.6 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Santa Maria la Fossa declared an average taxable income of 17,232 euros, below the provincial average (20,073 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Santa Maria la Fossa is in climate zone C, with 1,094 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 16 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Santa Maria la Fossa has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop and 2 healthcare facilities.
There are 0.4 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.7).
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 6.8% of the land in Santa Maria la Fossa, compared with 10.5% in the province and 10.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 2.6 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
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 4 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Santa Maria la Fossa, and 2 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 Santa Maria la Fossa: 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 Maria la Fossa 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 Santa Maria la Fossa. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 52 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 8.3%
- fair 91.7%
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.
- 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 061084. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.