Borghetto di Vara: 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
Land sheet 6 free checks
Search for an address in Borghetto di Vara
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 Quattro Novembre 1, Borghetto di Vara.
Borghetto di Vara, on the river Vara inland from La Spezia
The Vara flows right beside the village and gives it its name: Borghetto di Vara is a municipality in the Val di Vara, the hinterland of the province of La Spezia, with its centre on the valley floor at about 100 metres and several hamlets on the wooded slopes. The A12 motorway runs through the valley, and La Spezia, Sestri Levante and the Cinque Terre coast are a drive away.
For people who want a home near the sea without the crowds of the coast, the Val di Vara is an obvious alternative. Homes range from stone buildings in the hamlets, often on terraces, to newer houses on the valley floor. The climate zone is D, with mild winters. In a hillside hamlet, check the access road, dry-stone walls and drainage; on the valley floor, the distance from the river.
The population is shrinking and ageing: 881 residents in 2023, 12.6% fewer than in 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics institute. The estimated average age is 51.5 against 48.6 in the province, and over-65s are 34.1%, against 27.8% provincially. Foreign residents are 11.5%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.
The Civil Protection department places the municipality in seismic zone 3, like 25 of the 32 municipalities in the province, and the expected ground acceleration is about 0.133 g. In stone houses, ask whether the roof and floors have been redone, and with what materials.
The river, streams and steep slopes make it important to check flood and landslide hazard for the individual address: the report reads it on the official maps. The Revenue Agency publishes the cadastral maps, so the land parcel can be traced.
Key points
- Val di Vara, on the valley floor by the river Vara.
- A12 motorway in the valley, coast within driving distance.
- Over-65s at 34.1%, against 27.8% in the province.
- River and slopes: check flood and landslide hazard by address.
Overview
Borghetto di Vara is a municipality in the province of La Spezia, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 881 residents, ranked 23 of 32 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Borghetto di Vara 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 0.133 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 12.6%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (49). 34% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 11.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Borghetto di Vara declared an average taxable income of 21,451 euros, below the provincial average (25,530 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Borghetto di Vara is in climate zone D, with 1,619 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 104 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Borghetto di Vara has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets.
The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.7 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 3.8% of the land in Borghetto di Vara, 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
Borghetto di Vara 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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Borghetto di Vara. 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 Borghetto di Vara: 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 Borghetto di Vara 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 20 inhabited census areas in Borghetto di Vara. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 57 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 9.3%
- fair 90.7%
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 Liguria, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2026.
- 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 011006. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.