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Scerni: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Scerni

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: Contrada San Giacomo 1, Scerni.

Scerni, the hills between the Vasto area and the sea

Scerni sits on the hills of southern Chieti province, inland from Vasto, at around 280 metres, on a ridge between valleys planted with olives, vines and wheat. From the village you can see the Adriatic, which is a short drive away down on the coast, where the motorway and the Adriatic railway run. Locally the town is known for its agricultural college, a school with a long tradition.

The land is agricultural and the housing reflects it: in the centre, masonry houses, often terraced along the main streets, and in the countryside farmhouses, some restored by people who want a house with land near the coast but away from the resorts. For work people look to Vasto, San Salvo and the industrial area of the Sangro valley.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 2,941 residents in 2023, down 13.5% since 2011, a clear drop. The average age of 49.1 is above the provincial 47.4; over-65s make up 29.5% and foreign nationals 6.8%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Scerni is in seismic zone 3, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.094 g, lower than in inland Abruzzo. In older country houses, walls, floors and roofs should still be checked. The ground deserves the closest look: the clay hills of the Vasto area have delicate slopes, and the report checks gradient and the official landslide maps for the address. Climate zone D, moderate winters.

Key points

  • Hills inland from Vasto, with views of the Adriatic.
  • Farming town known for its agricultural college.
  • 2,941 residents, down 13.5% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration 0.094 g.

Overview

Scerni is a municipality in the province of Chieti, in Abruzzo. At the end of 2023 it had 2,941 residents, ranked 25 of 104 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Scerni is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Only 27 of 104 municipalities in the province are in zone 3.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.094 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

Even in zone 3, seismic standards apply to new buildings: for an older building, ask about the design year and any structural work.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 13.5%. The estimated average age is 49 years, higher than the province average (47). 30% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 6.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Scerni declared an average taxable income of 18,110 euros, below the provincial average (21,427 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Scerni is in climate zone D, with 1,657 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 281 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Scerni has 4 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 5 grocery shops and supermarkets and 2 sports facilities.

The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.6 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 3.3% of the land in Scerni, compared with 6.4% in the province and 5.1% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

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 Scerni. 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 Scerni: 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 Scerni 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 24 inhabited census areas in Scerni. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 58 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 83.6%
  • good 16.4%

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 069087. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.