Valle Castellana: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Teramo, Abruzzo. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Valle Castellana
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 Dante Alighieri 1, Valle Castellana.
Valle Castellana, scattered hamlets in the Monti della Laga
Valle Castellana covers a large area for such a small municipality: it takes in part of the Monti della Laga mountains in the north-west corner of the province of Teramo, in Abruzzo, on the border with the Marche, and is split into many hamlets scattered among woods, chestnut groves and narrow valleys. The town hall is at about 620 metres, but the hamlets climb higher. Much of the territory lies inside the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park.
For services, hospital and work people look to Ascoli Piceno, across the regional border, and to Teramo. The roads are mountain roads, narrow and winding: if you buy in a hamlet, find out how you get there in winter, who clears the snow, how the house is heated and whether there is phone signal. On the slopes landslide hazard varies from one spot to the next, and the report reads it from the official maps for the address, along with the gradient.
The population is old: the average age is 53.3, against 46.7 for the province, and over-65s are 36.0%, compared with 24.8% provincially. At the end of 2023 there were 845 residents, 184 fewer than in 2011, down 17.9%, according to Istat, the national statistics office. Households are small, 1.74 people on average. Average declared incomes are below the provincial average.
Valle Castellana is in seismic zone 1 (zone 1 is the most hazardous), like 10 municipalities in the province of Teramo, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.199 g. After the earthquakes that have struck the central Apennines in recent years, for a stone house ask about any damage, safety inspection reports and rebuilding work.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report works back from the address to the land parcel.
Key points
- Monti della Laga, on the border between Abruzzo and the Marche.
- Over-65s at 36.0%, against 24.8% in the province.
- Population down 17.9% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 1, expected acceleration about 0.199 g.
Overview
Valle Castellana is a municipality in the province of Teramo, in Abruzzo. At the end of 2023 it had 845 residents, ranked 41 of 47 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Valle Castellana is in seismic zone 1, the highest-risk zone, where very strong earthquakes are possible. Only 10 of 47 municipalities in the province are in zone 1.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.199 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Valle Castellana, 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 17.9%. The estimated average age is 53 years, higher than the province average (47). 36% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 3.9% of the population. On average, a household has 1.7 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Valle Castellana declared an average taxable income of 15,738 euros, below the provincial average (21,288 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Valle Castellana is in climate zone E, with 2,392 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 625 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Valle Castellana has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 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 1.4% of the land in Valle Castellana, compared with 6.7% in the province and 5.1% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
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 2 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Valle Castellana. 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 Valle Castellana: 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 Valle Castellana 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 31 inhabited census areas in Valle Castellana. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 55 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 100.0%
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
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Contaminated sites, ISPRA, MOSAICO - Banca dati nazionale dei siti oggetto di procedimento di bonifica. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 12 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 067046. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.