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Busalla: 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 Busalla

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 Vittorio Veneto 1, Busalla.

Busalla, the Scrivia valley beyond the Giovi pass

Beyond the Apennine watershed north of Genoa, the rivers already flow towards the Po. Busalla is one of the main towns of the upper Scrivia valley and grew along the valley floor, where the stream, the road and the railway run side by side. The station is on the historic Giovi line linking Genoa with the plain, and the Busalla junction on the A7 motorway leads to Genoa in one direction and to Serravalle and Milan in the other.

For people working in Genoa it is a compromise. Train and motorway are close, but the climate is not that of the coast: cold winters, damp and the occasional snowfall. The town is squeezed between the slopes, with apartment buildings along the main street and scattered houses higher up, where the roads get steep. If you are looking at a house on the hillside, try the road in winter too.

The population has fallen. Istat, the national statistics office, counted 5,082 residents in 2023, down 11.5% on 2011, or 659 fewer people. The average age is 50.4, against 49.0 in the Genoa metropolitan area, over-65s make up 31.0% and households have 1.97 people on average. Foreign residents account for 8.7%.

The Civil Protection Department places Busalla in seismic zone 3, like 63 other municipalities in the province; the expected ground acceleration is about 0.089 g. In the buildings from the nineteenth century to the post-war years along the road, ask about the roof, facades and shared stairs, and whether the building has works planned.

In a narrow valley, water is the main issue. Houses near the Scrivia and its side streams are the first to check for flooding, those on the slopes for landslides, and the report reads both sets of maps for the address. The Revenue Agency publishes the cadastral maps and the report reaches the land parcel.

Key points

  • Upper Scrivia valley: station on the Giovi line and A7 junction.
  • Apennine valley climate, cold and damp winters.
  • Residents down 11.5% since 2011, average age 50.4.
  • Seismic zone 3; the Scrivia and side streams to check.

Overview

Busalla is a municipality in the province of Genova, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 5,082 residents, ranked 15 of 67 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Busalla 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 0.089 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 11.5%. The estimated average age is 50 years, in line with the province. 31% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 8.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Busalla declared an average taxable income of 25,272 euros, below the provincial average (26,655 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Busalla is in climate zone E, with 2,458 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 358 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Busalla has 5 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 4 grocery shops and supermarkets, 8 healthcare facilities, 13 sports facilities and 1 green area.

There are 1.6 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.9).

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 10.7% of the land in Busalla, 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

Busalla 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 3 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Busalla, 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 Busalla: 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 Busalla 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 37 inhabited census areas in Busalla. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 75.6%
  • good 24.4%

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 010006. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.