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Borzonasca: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Borzonasca

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 Angelo Grilli 1, Borzonasca.

Borzonasca, the Val Sturla behind Chiavari

Borzonasca is the municipality of the Val Sturla, the valley that climbs from the hinterland of Chiavari towards the Ligurian Apennines. The main village sits low down on the valley floor, while the territory spreads into many hamlets scattered over the slopes, among chestnut woods and pasture. One of its best-known sights is the abbey of Borzone, an old Benedictine abbey in a hamlet up on the hillside.

Buyers here are often looking for space and greenery, with the Tigullio coast reachable by car along the valley road. Homes are mostly stone family houses, rural buildings and small blocks of flats in the main village. In the upper hamlets, look at access, winter road conditions, dry-stone walls and drainage. Average incomes are well below the province of Genoa.

The population is older and shrinking. Istat, the national statistics office, counted 1,811 residents in 2023, 14.7% fewer than in 2011. The average age is 52.4 against 49.0 in the province, over-65s make up 34.6% and households have 1.82 members on average. Foreign residents account for 8.9%.

Borzonasca is in seismic zone 3, like 63 other municipalities in the province, with an expected acceleration of 0.120 g. In a narrow valley like the Val Sturla, though, the first checks concern water and ground: the report reads the official flood maps along the Sturla and its streams, and the landslide maps for the slopes, at the exact address.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps and the report traces the address back to the land parcel.

Key points

  • Municipality of the Val Sturla, inland from Chiavari.
  • Main village on the valley floor, hamlets scattered over the slopes.
  • Over-65s at 34.6%, population down 14.7%.
  • Seismic zone 3; check flood-prone areas and slopes.

Overview

Borzonasca is a municipality in the province of Genova, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 1,811 residents, ranked 43 of 67 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Borzonasca is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (64 of 67) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.120 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 14.7%. The estimated average age is 52 years, higher than the province average (49). 35% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 8.9% of the population. On average, a household has 1.8 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Borzonasca declared an average taxable income of 20,241 euros, below the provincial average (26,655 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Borzonasca is in climate zone D, with 2,018 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 167 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Borzonasca has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop and 3 parks and green areas.

The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.9 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 2.7% of the land in Borzonasca, 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

Borzonasca 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 medium. 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 Borzonasca. 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 Borzonasca: 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 Borzonasca 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 54 inhabited census areas in Borzonasca. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 54 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 13.3%
  • fair 86.7%

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

ISTAT code 010005. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.