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Torricella Peligna: 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 Torricella Peligna

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: Corso Umberto Primo 1, Torricella Peligna.

Torricella Peligna, the mountain village of John Fante's father

Readers of John Fante will know the name: the writer's father emigrated to America from Torricella Peligna, and the village holds a literary festival in his honour every summer. Torricella is a mountain village in inland Abruzzo, in the province of Chieti, close to the Majella massif, in a landscape of woods, pasture and deep valleys.

The village has emptied a great deal. Istat, the national statistics office, counted 1,121 residents in 2023, 19.4% fewer than in 2011, and over-65s make up 37.8% against 26.4% for the province. The estimated average age is 53.6, against 47.4, and households are very small, with 1.89 members on average. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Buyers mostly find stone village houses, often shut up for years. Before falling for the view, check winter access, the roof and the wiring and plumbing, and the distance to services, which the report measures from the house. The climate is zone E, with cold winters and snow, and in the mountains slopes need attention: the official landslide maps are read for the address.

Earthquake hazard here is in the highest class. The Civil Protection Department places Torricella Peligna in zone 1, like 22 of the 104 municipalities in the province of Chieti, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.171 g. For a masonry house it is essential to know when it was built, what structural work it has had and under which permits, and to have an engineer see it before signing.

Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are published, and the report traces the address back to its plot.

Key points

  • Home village of John Fante's father, near the Majella.
  • Population down 19.4% since 2011; over-65s at 37.8%.
  • Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration about 0.171 g.
  • Masonry houses: check structural work and permits.

Overview

Torricella Peligna is a municipality in the province of Chieti, in Abruzzo. At the end of 2023 it had 1,121 residents, ranked 53 of 104 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Torricella Peligna is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Only 22 of 104 municipalities in the province are in zone 1.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.171 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Torricella Peligna, 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 19.4%. The estimated average age is 54 years, higher than the province average (47). 38% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 9.0% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Torricella Peligna declared an average taxable income of 17,320 euros, below the provincial average (21,427 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Torricella Peligna is in climate zone E, with 2,561 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 October to 15 April, for up to 14 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 910 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Torricella Peligna has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 sports facility and 1 green area.

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.7 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 2.9% of the land in Torricella Peligna, compared with 6.4% in the province and 5.1% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.7 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Official databases list no contaminated sites in Torricella Peligna.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Torricella Peligna: 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 Torricella Peligna 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 20 inhabited census areas in Torricella Peligna. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 59 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 3.0%
  • fair 97.0%

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 069095. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.