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Aulla: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Massa-Carrara, Toscana. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Aulla

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 Nazionale 1, Aulla.

Aulla, the Lunigiana crossroads where the Aulella meets the Magra

Aulla is the main town of the Lunigiana, the valley of the river Magra on the border between Tuscany and Liguria. It stands where the Aulella flows into the Magra, overlooked by the Brunella fortress, which now houses a natural history museum. The Via Francigena pilgrim route, the A15 motorway between Parma and La Spezia, the Pontremolese railway and the line down to Lucca through the Garfagnana all pass through, making the town the hub of the valley.

That location has a downside. In October 2011 the Magra flooded the centre of Aulla, causing very serious damage, and since then work has been done on embankments and the most exposed areas. Buyers need to know whether a house is on the flat land near the rivers or on the surrounding hills, where quieter hamlets offer stone houses and villas. La Spezia and the sea are not far.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 10,671 residents in 2023, down 5.4% since 2011. Aulla is the third largest municipality in the province of Massa-Carrara and holds 5.7% of its population. It is younger than the rest of the Lunigiana: estimated average age 47.8 against 49.2, and over-65s at 26.0% against 28.8%. Foreign residents make up 10.4%. Services are those of a local centre, with 14 supermarkets and 13 schools on record.

The Lunigiana is seismically active: 14 of the 17 municipalities in the province are in seismic zone 2, and Aulla is one of them, with an expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of about 0.167 g. For a stone house in the hamlets or a block of flats in town, ask when it was designed and what structural work has been done.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report finds the plot from the address. Checking flood hazard for the individual address is essential here, and on the hills landslide hazard needs a look too.

Key points

  • Lunigiana hub: A15 motorway, Pontremolese railway and line to Lucca.
  • 2011 flood: river hazard must be checked for each address.
  • Population down 5.4% since 2011; foreign residents 10.4%.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.167 g.

Overview

Aulla is a municipality in the province of Massa-Carrara, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 10,671 residents, the third most populous in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Aulla is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (14 of 17) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.167 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Aulla, 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 resident population has fallen by 5.4%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 10.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Aulla declared an average taxable income of 22,994 euros, in line with the province (23,864 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Aulla is in climate zone D, with 1,658 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 64 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Aulla has 13 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 14 grocery shops and supermarkets, 8 healthcare facilities, 11 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.

There are 1.3 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 8.8% of the land in Aulla, compared with 7.3% in the province and 6.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Aulla 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 5 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Aulla, and 4 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 Aulla: 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 Aulla 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 100 inhabited census areas in Aulla. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 4.8%
  • fair 66.7%
  • good 28.5%

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 045001. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.