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Sulmona: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Sulmona

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 Marane Palazzo 1, Sulmona.

Sulmona, the Peligna basin below Morrone and Majella

Sulmona sits in the basin of the Valle Peligna, ringed by Monte Morrone and the Majella massif, and is the main town of inland Abruzzo south of L'Aquila. It was the birthplace of the Latin poet Ovid and is famous in Italy for confetti, the sugared almonds made here for centuries. The old town runs along Corso Ovidio to Piazza Garibaldi, crossed by the medieval aqueduct, and at Badia, below Morrone, stands the abbey of Santo Spirito, linked to Pope Celestine V.

The town is a railway junction, on the Rome to Pescara line and at the start of the line to L'Aquila. The A25 motorway has a junction nearby at Pratola Peligna. At around 400 metres, with a basin that holds the cold, winters are harsh. The historic centre is full of old stone houses, while the outer districts have more recent blocks and detached homes.

The population is falling clearly: 21,960 residents in 2023 according to Istat, the national statistics office, 9.5% fewer than in 2011, a loss of 2,315 people. The estimated average age is 49.8 against 47.5 for the province, and 30.7% of residents are over 65, compared with 26.4%. Foreign nationals make up 5.5%. For buyers this means plenty of older homes on the market, to be judged carefully for works and running costs.

Earthquakes are the first thing to deal with. Sulmona is in seismic zone 1, like 103 municipalities in the province, and expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.256 g, a high value. Before making an offer, find out when the building was designed, whether it was strengthened after the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake, and whether any reconstruction claims or tax-credit works on the building are still open.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps here, so the report finds the land parcel from the address. Landslides on the slopes and flooding along the Gizio and Vella rivers are checked address by address.

Key points

  • Rail junction for Rome, Pescara and L'Aquila, A25 junction nearby.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected ground acceleration about 0.256 g.
  • Population down 9.5% since 2011.
  • 30.7% of residents over 65, above the provincial 26.4%.

Overview

Sulmona is a municipality in the province of L'Aquila, in Abruzzo. At the end of 2023 it had 21,960 residents, the third most populous in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Sulmona is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (103 of 108) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.256 g, a high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Sulmona, 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 9.5%. The estimated average age is 50 years, higher than the province average (48). 31% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 5.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Sulmona declared an average taxable income of 23,420 euros, in line with the province (22,903 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Sulmona has 30 schools and 7 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 19 grocery shops and supermarkets, 18 healthcare facilities, 19 sports facilities and 3 parks and green areas.

There are 0.3 pharmacies 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 11.8% of the land in Sulmona, compared with 3.2% in the province and 5.1% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 8.1 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 Sulmona, and one more has 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 Sulmona: 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 Sulmona 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 166 inhabited census areas in Sulmona. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 1.3%
  • fair 98.7%

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

ISTAT code 066098. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.