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Arcola: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Arcola

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 Aurelia Nord 1, Arcola.

Arcola, a hilltop village with a tower and hamlets down the Magra

Driving along the lower Val di Magra you see Arcola up on its hill between La Spezia and Sarzana, gathered around the five-sided tower of its castle. The old village is only a small part of the municipality, though. Most residents live in the hamlets lower down, towards the river plain, which grew in the second half of the twentieth century along the roads linking the Gulf of La Spezia with the valley.

That split matters when you are house hunting. On the hill there are stone houses, lanes, flights of steps and views over the gulf, with little parking and narrow access. On the flat there are small apartment blocks, detached houses and light industry, more convenient for people who work in La Spezia, in Sarzana or at the port. Arcola ranks 3 among the province's municipalities by population, and day-to-day services are mainly in the valley hamlets.

The Magra plain has seen severe floods, and the streams coming off the hills can overflow after heavy rain. For houses low down near watercourses the report reads the official flood hazard maps for the address; for those on slopes it checks gradient and landslides.

At the end of 2023 there were 10,181 residents, down 1.3% since 2011, making up 4.7% of the province's population. The mean age of 48.5 is in line with the province and 27.1% are over 65. Households are small, 2.13 people on average. Foreign residents make up 8.8%. Bars and restaurants are few compared with the provincial average, which is pushed up by the tourist towns on the coast.

Arcola is in seismic zone 3 on the Civil Protection Department's scale from 1 (highest) to 4, while 7 municipalities in the province are in zone 2. Expected ground acceleration is about 0.130 g. In the old village's masonry houses, ask about any work done on roofs and floors. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps and the report finds the plot from the address.

Key points

  • Hilltop village between La Spezia and Sarzana, hamlets on the plain.
  • Ranks 3 in the province, with 4.7% of its residents.
  • Magra plain: check flood hazard for the address.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.130 g.

Overview

Arcola is a municipality in the province of La Spezia, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 10,181 residents, the third most populous in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Arcola is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (25 of 32) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.130 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 1.3%. The estimated average age is 49 years, in line with the province. 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 8.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Arcola declared an average taxable income of 23,529 euros, below the provincial average (25,530 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Arcola is in climate zone D, with 1,604 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 70 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Arcola has 8 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 4 grocery shops and supermarkets, 6 healthcare facilities, 4 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.

There are 0.4 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer 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 18.2% of the land in Arcola, compared with 8.0% in the province and 7.3% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Arcola is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Liguria in 2026. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.

Official databases list 4 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Arcola, and 2 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 Arcola: 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 Arcola 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 60 inhabited census areas in Arcola. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.5%
  • fair 75.5%
  • good 23.9%

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 011002. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.