Altopascio: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Lucca, Toscana. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Altopascio
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 Firenze 1, Altopascio.
Altopascio, on the Via Francigena between Lucca and Valdinievole
Altopascio grew up around an old pilgrims' hospice on the Via Francigena, run by the Knights of the Tau, and the old village with its bell tower and walls still recalls that past. Today it is a municipality on the plain east of Lucca, bordering the Valdinievole and the province of Pistoia, also known for the bread that carries its name.
The municipality includes several hamlets, such as Marginone, Spianate and Badia Pozzeveri, spread across the plain among fields, workshops and scattered houses. For getting about there is the Altopascio junction on the Florence-to-coast motorway, and the Florence-Lucca railway has a stop in the municipality. Lucca, Montecatini and Pistoia are close, and Florence is within commuting range.
Altopascio is much younger than the province of Lucca: the estimated average age is 44.0 against 48.1, and over-65s make up 20.4% against 26.8%. At the end of 2023 there were 15,952 residents, up 5.8% since 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office, and foreign residents account for 14.0%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.
On the plain, water matters more than slope. South of the town lay Lake Bientina, drained by land reclamation, and the low ground is still crossed by channels and ditches. The report checks flood hazard for the exact address; for a house with ground-floor rooms, it is also worth asking the neighbours how things went in the heaviest rain.
For earthquakes, Altopascio is in zone 3, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.128 g; 22 municipalities in the province are in zone 2. For homes built before recent standards, ask for the design date and any work carried out. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps, and the report traces the address to its plot.
Key points
- On the Via Francigena, on the plain between Lucca and Valdinievole.
- Average age 44.0, over-65s at 20.4%.
- Former Lake Bientina and drainage channels: check flooding.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.128 g.
Overview
Altopascio is a municipality in the province of Lucca, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 15,952 residents, ranked 7 of 33 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Altopascio is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Only 11 of 33 municipalities in the province are in zone 3.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.128 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 5.8%. The estimated average age is 44 years, lower than the province average (48). 20% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 14.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Altopascio declared an average taxable income of 22,304 euros, below the provincial average (24,903 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Altopascio is in climate zone D, with 1,648 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 19 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Altopascio has 9 schools and 5 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 8 grocery shops and supermarkets, 7 healthcare facilities, 10 sports facilities and 3 parks and green areas.
There are 0.4 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.8).
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 22.6% of the land in Altopascio, compared with 9.2% in the province and 6.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.0 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Altopascio is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Toscana in 2025. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.
Official databases list 6 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Altopascio, and 6 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 Altopascio: 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 Altopascio 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 99 inhabited census areas in Altopascio. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 58 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 5.0%
- fair 77.0%
- good 18.0%
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.
- Radon priority areas (Legislative Decree 101/2020), Regione Toscana, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2025.
- 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 046001. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.