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Airole: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Airole

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 Mazzini 1, Airole.

Airole, in the Roia valley a short way from France

In the Roia valley, inland from Ventimiglia, Airole stretches along a ridge above the river, its houses packed close together and terraced olive groves all around. The French border is a few kilometres away, and the village has a stop on the railway that climbs the valley from Ventimiglia towards Tende and Cuneo. For the sea, a big food shop and most services, Ventimiglia is a short drive down.

Houses in the old village are stone-built, often on several floors and reached on foot. Before buying, check the roof, timber floors, damp and drains, and find out how building materials can be brought in for any work. The olive terraces are held up by dry-stone walls that need upkeep. The report reads the official maps for landslide hazard on the slopes and flooding along the Roia at the exact address.

The village has lost many residents: there were 359 in 2023, down 22.1% on the 461 of 2011, according to Istat, the national statistics office. The estimated average age is 52.3, against 48.7 in the province of Imperia, and over-65s make up 35.4%. Foreign residents account for 30.1% of the population, a noticeable presence. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

The municipality is in seismic zone 3 on the Civil Protection scale, like 35 other municipalities in western Liguria, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.142 g in the built-up area. Where stone houses lean on one another, the neighbours' buildings matter too: structural work is best planned with them.

Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are published, and the report goes from the address to the land parcel.

Key points

  • Roia valley village above Ventimiglia, close to the French border.
  • Station on the Ventimiglia to Cuneo railway.
  • Foreign residents at 30.1%, over-65s at 35.4%.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.142 g.

Overview

Airole is a municipality in the province of Imperia, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 359 residents, ranked 49 of 66 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Airole is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (36 of 66) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.142 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 fallen by 22.1%. The estimated average age is 52 years, higher than the province average (49). 35% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 30.1% of the population. On average, a household has 1.7 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Airole declared an average taxable income of 18,279 euros, below the provincial average (21,487 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Airole is in climate zone D, with 1,706 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 149 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Airole 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 0.9 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 2.1% of the land in Airole, compared with 6.4% in the province and 7.3% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Airole is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Liguria in 2026. 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 contaminated sites in Airole.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Airole: 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 Airole 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 6 inhabited census areas in Airole. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 58 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 1.1%
  • fair 98.9%

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 008001. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.