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Terralba: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Terralba

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 Roma 1, Terralba.

Terralba, the Campidano plain and the Marceddì lagoon

Terralba ranks 2 by population among the municipalities in the province of Oristano, and lies in the northern part of the Campidano, the great plain of western Sardinia. Oristano is some twenty kilometres to the north, and Arborea is the neighbouring town towards the gulf. The land is flat and only a few metres above sea level, made up of fields, vineyards and drainage canals, down to the coast where the Marceddì lagoon opens out, with the fishing village of the same name.

Farming still matters, and the town gives its name to a red wine, Terralba, made mainly from bovale grapes. Houses in the centre are mostly low, often built of unfired earth bricks around an inner courtyard; newer detached houses and small blocks surround them. Earth-brick houses stay cool in summer but suffer from damp, so before buying one have the walls, plaster and foundations checked by a surveyor who knows this material.

The population is falling: at the end of 2023 there were 9,633 residents, 7.7% fewer than in 2011. The estimated average age is 48.9, a little below the 49.8 of one of the oldest provinces in Italy, and over-65s make up 27.4%. Foreign residents are only 1.7%. Incomes are below the provincial average.

As everywhere in Sardinia, earthquake hazard is very low: the 87 municipalities in the province are in seismic zone 4 on the Civil Protection scale, and the expected ground acceleration is about 0.050 g. Water is more relevant, on a low plain between canals, the lagoon and streams coming down from the hills.

The report works from the address to the land parcel with the Revenue Agency's cadastral maps and checks flood hazard there.

Key points

  • On the Campidano, ranked 2 by population in the province.
  • Marceddì lagoon hamlet, Terralba red wine from bovale grapes.
  • All 87 municipalities in the province in seismic zone 4.
  • Population down 7.7% since 2011.

Overview

Terralba is a municipality in the province of Oristano, in Sardegna. At the end of 2023 it had 9,633 residents, the second most populous in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Terralba is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 87 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.050 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 7.7%. The estimated average age is 49 years, in line with the province. 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 1.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Terralba declared an average taxable income of 18,634 euros, below the provincial average (19,764 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Terralba is in climate zone C, with 988 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 9 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Terralba has 7 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 9 grocery shops and supermarkets, 7 healthcare facilities, 8 sports facilities and 2 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 7.9% of the land in Terralba, compared with 3.4% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Terralba is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Sardegna in 2022. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Terralba: 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 Terralba 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 23 inhabited census areas in Terralba. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 57.9%
  • good 28.3%
  • very good 13.8%

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 115075. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.