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Caravonica: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Caravonica

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 Colle San Bartolomeo 1, Caravonica.

Caravonica, a village in the hills behind Imperia

Few residents, a large share of foreign nationals and a population younger than the provincial average: these are the features of Caravonica, inland from Imperia. In 2023 Istat, the national statistics office, counted 244 residents, down 19.5% on 2011. Foreign nationals make up 17.2%, the estimated average age is 49.3 (the province: 48.7) and over-65s are 25.4%, fewer than the 28.5% of the province.

The village lies in the hills behind the coast around Imperia, in the valleys that climb from the sea towards the Ligurian Alps. The landscape is typical of inland Liguria, with terraced slopes, woods and small clusters of stone houses. The coast and Imperia are where people go for work, secondary schools, the hospital and shopping, driving down winding valley roads.

The climate is mild for hill country (climate zone D), and homes are mostly multi-level village houses and country cottages. Before buying, check car access, the state of the dry-stone walls that hold up the terraces and damp in rooms built against the slope. Average declared incomes are slightly above the provincial average.

For earthquakes, Caravonica is in zone 3 of the Civil Protection classification, like 36 of the 66 municipalities in the province, with a moderate expected ground acceleration in the village of about 0.155 g. In stone buildings, ask whether walls and floors have been tied together and reinforced. Cadastral maps are published by the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate), and the report checks landslide maps on the slopes for the address.

Key points

  • Village in the hills inland from Imperia, among terraces and woods.
  • Foreign residents at 17.2%; over-65s at 25.4%.
  • 244 residents, down 19.5% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.155 g.

Overview

Caravonica is a municipality in the province of Imperia, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 244 residents, among the smallest in the province (59 of 66).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Caravonica is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (36 of 66) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.155 g, a medium-high 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 19.5%. The estimated average age is 49 years, in line with the province. 25% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 17.2% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Caravonica declared an average taxable income of 22,824 euros, above the provincial average (21,487 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Caravonica is in climate zone D, with 2,051 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 360 metres above sea level.

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 5.5% of the land in Caravonica, compared with 6.4% in the province and 7.3% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Caravonica 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 no contaminated sites in Caravonica.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Caravonica: 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 Caravonica 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 5 inhabited census areas in Caravonica. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 57 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 008012. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.