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Vieste: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Foggia, Puglia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Vieste

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 Madonna della Libera 1, Vieste.

Vieste, the tip of the Gargano between beaches and cliffs

Vieste sits on the eastern tip of the Gargano, the rocky promontory that juts into the Adriatic from northern Puglia, at the point where the coast turns from south to north. The old town is built on a spur of pale rock above the sea, with the castle at the top and narrow houses along stepped lanes. Long beaches open on either side, and on the one south of town stands the Pizzomunno, a tall white sea stack that has become the symbol of the place.

The economy follows the seasons. In summer campsites, holiday villages and rented flats fill up; in winter the town goes back to the size of an ordinary provincial municipality. The numbers show it: 17.37 bars and restaurants per 1,000 residents, against 4.90 in the province of Foggia. Many buyers here want a second home or a property to let. Bear in mind how far Vieste is from the main transport routes: neither the railway nor the motorway comes this far, and the roads across the Gargano are long and winding. In summer, boats leave the harbour for the Tremiti islands.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 13,296 residents in 2023, 25 more than in 2011. The estimated average age is 45.1, close to the provincial 45.2, and foreign residents make up 5.6%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

The Gargano is one of the most earthquake-prone parts of Puglia: in the province, 10 municipalities are in zone 1 and 51 in zone 2. Vieste is in zone 2, with an expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of about 0.189 g. For old-town houses, built of stone and often extended over time, start by asking about the condition of the structure and floors.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps. On the cliffs and slopes of the promontory the report checks landslide and rockfall hazard for the individual address, and near the shore it checks flood-prone areas.

Key points

  • Tip of the Gargano, far from railways and motorways.
  • 17.37 bars and restaurants per 1,000 residents: a tourist economy.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.189 g.
  • Clifftop homes: check landslide and rockfall hazard.

Overview

Vieste is a municipality in the province of Foggia, in Puglia. At the end of 2023 it had 13,296 residents, ranked 10 of 61 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Vieste is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (51 of 61) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.189 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Vieste, 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 number of residents is nearly unchanged. The estimated average age is 45 years, in line with the province. 22% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 5.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Vieste declared an average taxable income of 15,797 euros, below the provincial average (18,478 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Vieste is in climate zone C, with 1,239 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 43 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Vieste has 11 schools and 6 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 14 grocery shops and supermarkets, 10 healthcare facilities, 21 sports facilities and 5 parks and green areas.

There are 1.1 grocery shops and supermarkets 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 4.6% of the land in Vieste, compared with 4.1% in the province and 8.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 2.1 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Vieste 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 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 contaminated sites in Vieste.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Vieste: 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 Vieste 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 90 inhabited census areas in Vieste. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 77 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 12.2%
  • good 61.4%
  • very good 26.4%

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 071060. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.