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Balestrino: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Balestrino

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 Provinciale 1, Balestrino.

Balestrino, a castle and hills above Loano

The Del Carretto castle towers over Balestrino, a municipality in the hills behind Loano on the western Riviera, in the province of Savona. The village stands at around 370 metres: close enough to the sea to reach it quickly by car, high enough for cooler winters and a landscape of woods and terraces.

People looking for a home here usually want an open view and a bit of land around the house. Before buying, check the access road, the dry-stone walls around the house and, for rural buildings, whether the living spaces are fully authorised under planning rules. The area is in climate zone E.

The population follows the pattern of many Ligurian hinterland villages: 526 residents in 2023 against 597 in 2011, a fall of 11.9%. The average age of 49.8 is almost the same as the provincial 49.7, and over-65s make up 28.9% (30.0% in the province). Foreign residents are 3.4%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Balestrino is in seismic zone 3 on the Civil Protection department's national scale, like 46 of the 69 municipalities in the province of Savona, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.112 g in the built-up area. For a stone building, the advice is to have a surveyor look at the roof and floors before completion.

The report reads the Revenue Agency's cadastral maps, published for the municipality, and traces the land parcel from the address. On steep slopes, gradient and landslide hazard change from plot to plot: the report checks them on the official maps for the exact spot.

Key points

  • Hills above Loano, overlooked by the Del Carretto castle.
  • 526 residents, down 11.9% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.112 g.
  • Rural buildings: access, dry-stone walls and planning status.

Overview

Balestrino is a municipality in the province of Savona, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 526 residents, ranked 56 of 69 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Balestrino is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (46 of 69) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.112 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 11.9%. The estimated average age is 50 years, in line with the province. 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 3.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Balestrino declared an average taxable income of 21,887 euros, below the provincial average (24,469 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Balestrino is in climate zone E, with 2,190 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 October to 15 April, for up to 14 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 371 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Balestrino has 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 green area.

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 1.0 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 3.7% of the land in Balestrino, compared with 6.7% in the province and 7.3% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Balestrino 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 no contaminated sites in Balestrino.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Balestrino: 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 Balestrino 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 9 inhabited census areas in Balestrino. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 55 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 100.0%

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

ISTAT code 009008. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.