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Casella: 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 Casella

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 Avosso 1, Casella.

Casella, the upper Scrivia valley and the little train from Genoa

The road from Genoa to Casella climbs the Scrivia valley, leaving the coast and the city behind. The village is the terminus of the Genoa-Casella railway, a historic narrow-gauge line that winds through the hills inland, and it sits at around 410 metres in an open basin of woods and farmed slopes.

Buying in Casella means choosing the hinterland: village houses, small blocks of flats and detached houses with land on the higher ground around. Many residents work in Genoa and travel down by car or public transport, so check real journey times at rush hour. Winters are colder than on the coast (climate zone E) and the damp of the valley floor is noticeable: heating, insulation and walls built against the slope are the first things to look at.

Casella has 3,065 residents (2023), 5.2% fewer than in 2011. The mean age is 48.8, almost the same as the province (49.0); over-65s make up 27.8% and foreign residents 3.6%. Declared incomes are in line with the provincial average.

Casella is in seismic zone 3 of the Civil Protection classification, shared with 63 other municipalities in the province of Genoa, and the expected ground acceleration in the village is 0.090 g. For stone houses, ask what work has been done on roof and floors. Along the Scrivia and its side streams, the report checks the official flood and landslide maps for the address; the Revenue Agency cadastral maps are published.

Key points

  • End of the narrow-gauge railway from Genoa.
  • Scrivia valley hinterland, colder winters than the coast.
  • 3,065 residents, down 5.2% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration 0.090 g.

Overview

Casella is a municipality in the province of Genova, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 3,065 residents, ranked 24 of 67 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Casella 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 0.090 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 5.2%. The estimated average age is 49 years, in line with the province. 28% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 3.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Casella declared an average taxable income of 26,542 euros, in line with the province (26,655 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Casella is in climate zone E, with 2,676 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 410 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Casella has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 4 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 healthcare facility, 1 sports facility and 3 parks and green areas.

There are 1.3 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.5).

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 13.1% of the land in Casella, 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

Casella 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 no contaminated sites in Casella.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Casella: 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 Casella 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 28 inhabited census areas in Casella. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 67 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 5.9%
  • fair 35.1%
  • good 59.0%

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 010012. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.