Somma Vesuviana: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Napoli, 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: Via Aldo Moro 1, Somma Vesuviana.
Somma Vesuviana, in the Vesuvius red zone on Monte Somma
The town takes its name from Monte Somma, the oldest ridge of the Vesuvius volcanic complex, and spreads across its northern slope from the plain up to woods and hillside vineyards. The oldest part is the medieval Casamale quarter, enclosed by Aragonese walls; lower down, newer districts packed with blocks of flats and villas have grown up.
For buyers, the key fact is that Somma Vesuviana lies in the Vesuvius red zone, the area the national emergency plan would evacuate before an eruption. In the red zone a regional law prohibits adding new homes, which affects extension plans and the housing market. Before signing, read the municipal evacuation plan and find out how the transfer to the twinned host region would work.
Istat, the national statistics office, counted 33,557 residents in 2023, down 3.0% since 2011. The average age is 42.9, over-65s make up 18.7% and households have 2.67 people on average. Healthcare facilities on record are few, 0.27 per 1,000 residents against 0.60 in the province. The Circumvesuviana railway links the town to Naples.
Beyond the volcano there is earthquake risk. Somma Vesuviana is in seismic zone 2 on the Civil Protection scale, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.173 g. For houses in the Casamale and blocks built in a hurry in past decades, ask for the design date, any surveys and proof of planning compliance, since amnesties for unauthorised building have been common here.
Gullies and channels run down from Monte Somma and in heavy rain can carry water and mud towards the town. The report checks landslide and flood hazard for the address and uses the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) land registry maps to find the plot.
Key points
- In the Vesuvius red zone: no new residential building allowed.
- 33,557 residents, down 3.0% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.173 g.
- Medieval Casamale quarter on the northern slope of Monte Somma.
Overview
Somma Vesuviana is a municipality in the province of Napoli, in Campania. At the end of 2023 it had 33,557 residents, ranked 21 of 92 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Somma Vesuviana is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (76 of 92) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.173 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Somma Vesuviana, 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 3.0%. The estimated average age is 43 years, in line with the province. 19% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 21%). Foreign residents make up 3.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.7 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Somma Vesuviana declared an average taxable income of 19,784 euros, below the provincial average (21,545 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Somma Vesuviana is in climate zone C, with 1,241 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 165 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Somma Vesuviana has 28 schools and 13 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 27 grocery shops and supermarkets, 9 healthcare facilities, 14 sports facilities and 5 parks and green areas.
There are 0.3 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer 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 25.2% of the land in Somma Vesuviana, compared with 34.9% in the province and 10.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.5 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 no contaminated sites in Somma Vesuviana.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Somma Vesuviana: 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 Somma Vesuviana 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 128 inhabited census areas in Somma Vesuviana. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 59 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 6.9%
- fair 73.0%
- good 20.1%
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 063079. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.