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Tricase: 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 Tricase

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 Apulia 1, Tricase.

Tricase, villages, harbour and the Adriatic side of Cape Leuca

Tricase is one of the largest towns in the far south of Salento, on the Adriatic side of Cape Leuca, the heel of Italy. The town itself lies slightly inland on low rising ground and reaches the sea at Tricase Porto and Marina Serra, among rocky shores and small harbours. In the old centre stands Palazzo Gallone, residence of the princes who once held the fief.

The municipality is really several places: besides the main town there are villages such as Lucugnano, Depressa and Tutino, each with its own square and courtyard houses. The Cardinale Panico hospital serves the whole Cape Leuca area, which makes Tricase a reference point for the surrounding towns. Buyers have three quite different options: the town with its services, the quieter villages, and the seaside hamlets, where many homes are second homes open in summer and shut in winter.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 16,990 residents in 2023, down 3.8% since 2011, as in much of southern Salento. The average age (46.1) is a little lower than the provincial figure, though, with over-65s at 24.2% against 26.1%. Foreign nationals are 2.7% of residents. Declared incomes are above the average for the province of Lecce, and schools (16) are more widespread than elsewhere.

Seismic hazard is low: all 96 municipalities in the province are in zone 4 on the Civil Protection Department's scale, and in Tricase expected ground acceleration is about 0.066 g. In stone and tuff houses, rising damp, the condition of the vaulted ceilings and the waterproofing of flat roofs matter more. On the rocky coast the report checks cliff landslides for the address and, in low-lying spots, the areas where water collects after storms. The Revenue Agency's cadastral maps are published.

Key points

  • Town, villages and seaside hamlets on the Adriatic side of Cape Leuca.
  • Hospital serving the whole Cape Leuca area.
  • Over-65s at 24.2%, against 26.1% in the province.
  • All 96 municipalities in the province in seismic zone 4.

Overview

Tricase is a municipality in the province of Lecce, in Puglia. At the end of 2023 it had 16,990 residents, among the most populous in the province (7 of 96).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Tricase 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 0.066 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 3.8%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 2.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Tricase declared an average taxable income of 20,586 euros, above the provincial average (19,196 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Tricase is in climate zone C, with 1,183 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 98 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Tricase has 16 schools and 5 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 13 grocery shops and supermarkets, 12 healthcare facilities, 17 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.

There are 0.3 pharmacies per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.4).

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 18.9% of the land in Tricase, compared with 14.1% in the province and 8.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 4.3 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Tricase 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 no open contaminated sites in Tricase; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Tricase: 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 Tricase 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 63 inhabited census areas in Tricase. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 70 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 32.0%
  • good 53.9%
  • very good 14.1%

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

ISTAT code 075088. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.