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Vasto: 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 Vasto

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 Giuseppe Mazzini 1, Vasto.

Vasto, the town on the terrace and the marina on the gulf

From Vasto's historic centre, with the Palazzo d'Avalos and the Amblingh loggia, the view takes in the whole gulf and the coast to the south. The town is built on a natural terrace above the sea, in southern Abruzzo close to the border with Molise; down below, along the beach, is Vasto Marina with hotels, beach clubs and holiday homes.

Its position on the terrace explains the issue to look at most carefully. The slope between the upper town and the sea is prone to landslides, and some in the past have affected houses and streets in the centre. If you are buying near the edge or on the slopes, check the official landslide hazard maps, which the report reads for the address, and ask whether there are cracks or stabilisation works under way. In the lower part of town, flooding and distance from the sea matter instead.

For getting around there are two A14 motorway junctions and Vasto-San Salvo station on the Adriatic railway. Between Vasto and San Salvo lies one of the most important industrial areas in Abruzzo, which employs many local families.

There are 40,874 residents (2023), up 5.5% since 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office, which is 11.0% of the province of Chieti. The town is younger than the inland villages: over-65s make up 24.2% against 26.4% across the province. Average declared incomes are above the provincial figure, and bars and restaurants are more numerous than elsewhere, partly because of summer tourism.

Vasto is in seismic zone 3 of the Civil Protection classification, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.085 g: a lower level than much of the province, where 22 municipalities are in zone 1 and 55 in zone 2. It is still worth asking for structural records for buildings in the old town and for blocks built before recent standards.

Key points

  • Old town on a terrace above the sea, Vasto Marina below.
  • 40,874 residents, up 5.5% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.085 g.
  • Seaward slope prone to landslides: check the plot.

Overview

Vasto is a municipality in the province of Chieti, in Abruzzo. At the end of 2023 it had 40,874 residents, the second most populous in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Vasto is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Only 27 of 104 municipalities in the province are in zone 3.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.085 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

Even in zone 3, seismic standards apply to new buildings: for an older building, ask about the design year and any structural work.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has grown by 5.5%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 6.3% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Vasto declared an average taxable income of 23,152 euros, above the provincial average (21,427 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Vasto is in climate zone D, with 1,451 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 1 November to 15 April, for up to 12 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 144 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Vasto has 33 schools and 12 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 26 grocery shops and supermarkets, 40 healthcare facilities, 49 sports facilities and 4 parks and green areas.

There are 1.0 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more 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 14.9% of the land in Vasto, compared with 6.4% in the province and 5.1% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 8.4 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Official databases list 3 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Vasto, and 3 more have 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 Vasto: 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 Vasto 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 234 inhabited census areas in Vasto. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 73 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.9%
  • fair 30.0%
  • good 62.5%
  • very good 6.6%

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 069099. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.