Ventotene: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Latina, Lazio. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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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 Olivi 1, Ventotene.
Ventotene, the island of the Roman harbour and the Manifesto
Ventotene is a long, narrow volcanic island in the Pontine archipelago, with a Roman harbour cut into the tuff rock that still shelters boats today. In imperial times women of Augustus's family were exiled here, and the remains of the villa on the Punta Eolo headland keep that memory alive. In the twentieth century the island was a place of political internment: here Altiero Spinelli and Ernesto Rossi wrote the Ventotene Manifesto, one of the founding texts of the idea of a united Europe. The municipality also includes the islet of Santo Stefano, with its former Bourbon prison.
Living or buying on such a small island has its own rules. Links are by sea, with ferries and hydrofoils from Formia, and in winter rough seas can stop them for days. Materials and building work cost more because everything arrives by boat, and few houses come on the market. In summer the population grows a great deal: there are 24.67 bars and restaurants per 1,000 residents, against 5.54 in the province of Latina. On the cliff coasts the report reads the official maps for landslides and rockfalls at the exact address.
In 2023 there were 689 residents, practically the same as in 2011. The average age is 48.5 against 45.5 in the province, and households are small, 1.64 people on average. Foreign residents account for 8.6%.
Despite its volcanic origin, seismic hazard is moderate: Ventotene is in zone 3 of the Civil Protection (Protezione Civile) classification, like 29 other municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.057 g. On an island, what matters most is salt air on steel and render, roofs and services.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes Ventotene's cadastral maps, so the report traces the address to its land parcel and building.
Key points
- Pontine island with a Roman harbour cut into the tuff.
- Sea links from Formia, suspended in rough weather.
- Bars and restaurants: 24.67 per 1,000 residents.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.057 g.
Overview
Ventotene is a municipality in the province of Latina, in Lazio. At the end of 2023 it had 689 residents, among the smallest in the province (32 of 33).
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Ventotene is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. The region uses a finer breakdown: here the classification is 3B. Most municipalities in the province (30 of 33) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.057 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 number of residents is nearly unchanged. The estimated average age is 49 years, higher than the province average (46). 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 8.6% of the population. On average, a household has 1.6 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Ventotene declared an average taxable income of 20,415 euros, below the provincial average (21,502 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Ventotene is in climate zone C, with 1,107 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 18 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Ventotene has 2 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 healthcare facility, 1 sports facility and 1 green area.
There are 2.9 pharmacies per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.3).
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 12.9% of the land in Ventotene, compared with 10.1% in the province and 8.2% 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 medium. 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 Ventotene; one has been cleaned up or closed.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Ventotene: 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 Ventotene 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 17 inhabited census areas in Ventotene. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 77 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 21.0%
- good 79.0%
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 059033. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.