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Spongano: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Spongano

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 San Leonardo 0, Spongano.

Spongano, inland Salento towards Castro

In eastern Salento, between Maglie and the stretch of Adriatic coast that runs down towards Castro, Spongano is an inland village surrounded by olive groves and dry-stone walls. The sea is close, about ten minutes by car, but the village keeps the pace of a farming and residential place rather than a beach resort.

The old centre has the typical Salento courtyard houses, with walls in the local Lecce stone and flat terrace roofs, often in need of renovation. Around them are newer detached houses and, out in the countryside, a few rural homes. If you buy an old house, allow for rising damp in the walls, which is common in this stone, and check the condition of the flat roofs.

There were 3,431 residents in 2023, down 8.3% since 2011 (311 fewer people), according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age is 47.8, against 47.2 in the province of Lecce, and over-65s make up 27.9%, above the provincial 26.1%. Foreign residents are few, at 5.4%. Incomes are a little below the provincial average.

Earthquake risk is low. All 96 municipalities in the province are in seismic zone 4, the lowest on the Civil Protection Department's scale, and the expected ground acceleration in Spongano is about 0.063 g. Climate zone C means mild winters and hot summers: in old houses, keeping the heat out matters more than heating.

The land is flat or gently rolling, and the report checks the official flood maps for the exact address. Cadastral maps from the Revenue Agency are available.

Key points

  • Inland eastern Salento, with the Adriatic close by.
  • 3,431 residents in 2023, down 8.3% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 4, like every municipality in the province of Lecce.
  • Stone courtyard houses: watch for damp and roof condition.

Overview

Spongano is a municipality in the province of Lecce, in Puglia. At the end of 2023 it had 3,431 residents, ranked 69 of 96 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Spongano 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 0.063 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 8.3%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 28% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 5.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Spongano declared an average taxable income of 18,215 euros, below the provincial average (19,196 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Spongano is in climate zone C, with 1,240 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 96 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Spongano has 4 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 4 grocery shops and supermarkets, 3 healthcare facilities and 4 sports facilities.

There are 1.2 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.8).

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 18.2% of the land in Spongano, compared with 14.1% in the province and 8.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.4 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Spongano 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 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 Spongano. 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 Spongano: 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 Spongano 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 13 inhabited census areas in Spongano. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 61 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 75.5%
  • good 24.5%

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 075078. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.