Casola in Lunigiana: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Massa-Carrara, Toscana. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Casola in Lunigiana
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 Codiponte 1, Casola in Lunigiana.
Casola in Lunigiana, the Aulella valley towards the Garfagnana
In Lunigiana, where the Aulella valley climbs towards the pass into the Garfagnana, Casola is a municipality of small stone hamlets scattered among chestnut woods and wooded slopes, with the Apuan Alps on one side and the Apennines on the other. The main village lies at around 330 metres; among the hamlets is Codiponte, with its Romanesque parish church. For wider services people head down towards Aulla and the coast.
The housing stock is largely stone houses, often old, in compact hamlets. Alongside year-round residents there are buyers looking for a holiday home or a place to move to. For a buyer, the roof, timber floors, damp and car access, not always easy in the hamlets, are what count. The climate zone is E.
The population is elderly: the average age is 54.4 against 49.2 in the province, and over-65s make up 39.8% against 28.8% across the province. In 2023 there were 931 residents, down 7.2% since 2011, and foreign residents accounted for 10.5%.
Casola is in seismic zone 2, like 14 of the 17 municipalities in the province of Massa-Carrara, with an expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of 0.198 g. In a stone house the first check concerns the walls and their connections with the floors: that is where the real cost of a renovation is decided.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps cover the municipality. The report finds the parcel from the address and shows landslide and flood hazard, elevation and slope, which vary a great deal between the valley floor and the hamlets higher up.
Key points
- Upper Aulella valley in Lunigiana, between Apuan Alps and Apennines.
- Stone hamlets: check walls, floors and access.
- Over-65s at 39.8%, 28.8% in the province.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.198 g.
Overview
Casola in Lunigiana is a municipality in the province of Massa-Carrara, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 931 residents, among the smallest in the province (15 of 17).
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Casola in Lunigiana is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (14 of 17) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.198 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Casola in Lunigiana, the building matters a great deal: ask for the design year, whether it met the 2008 seismic standards, and whether any seismic retrofit has been carried out.
Population
Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 7.2%. The estimated average age is 54 years, higher than the province average (49). 40% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 10.5% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Casola in Lunigiana declared an average taxable income of 21,814 euros, below the provincial average (23,864 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Casola in Lunigiana is in climate zone E, with 2,287 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 328 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Casola in Lunigiana has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy.
The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.6 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 2.8% of the land in Casola in Lunigiana, compared with 7.3% in the province and 6.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
Casola in Lunigiana is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Toscana in 2025. 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 Casola in Lunigiana.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Casola in Lunigiana: 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 Casola in Lunigiana 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 16 inhabited census areas in Casola in Lunigiana. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 55 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 23.4%
- fair 76.6%
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 Toscana, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2025.
- 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 045004. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.