Castellaro: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Imperia, Liguria. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Castellaro
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 Lampedusa 1, Castellaro.
Castellaro, olive groves and a sanctuary above the Taggia coast
From the coast between Taggia and Riva Ligure it takes a few minutes to drive up to Castellaro, a hill village among the olive groves of the western Riviera. Above the village stands the sanctuary of Nostra Signora di Lampedusa, a destination for walks and religious festivals, with a wide view over the sea. The old village is made up of tall, narrow houses along climbing streets, with newer homes scattered among the terraced fields.
Being close to the coast shapes daily life: the Via Aurelia coast road, the seaside cycle path and the motorway junction near Taggia are all close, and Sanremo and Imperia are reached by car. The population is growing: 1,268 residents in 2023, according to Istat, the national statistics office, up 2.8% on 2011. The average age is 47.0, a little below the 48.7 of the province of Imperia, and over-65s are 25.9% against 28.5%. Foreign residents are 5.6%.
Buyers find flats in the old village, detached houses and rustic buildings among the olives, often reached by narrow lanes. The climate is mild (zone D); in stone houses, damp, the roof and the state of the dry-stone walls holding up the terraces all matter.
Castellaro is in seismic zone 2, like 29 other municipalities in the province, and the expected ground acceleration in the village is 0.153 g. For an old building, ask whether work has been done on floors and structure.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps, so the report reaches the land parcel. On the terraces, slope and landslide hazard change from one level to the next: the report checks them on the official maps for each address.
Key points
- Village among olive groves above the Taggia and Riva Ligure coast.
- 1,268 residents in 2023, up 2.8% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.153 g.
- Over-65s at 25.9%, against 28.5% in the province.
Overview
Castellaro is a municipality in the province of Imperia, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 1,268 residents, ranked 17 of 66 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Castellaro is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Only 30 of 66 municipalities in the province are in zone 2.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.153 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Castellaro, 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 grown by 2.8%. The estimated average age is 47 years, lower than the province average (49). 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 5.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Castellaro declared an average taxable income of 20,170 euros, below the provincial average (21,487 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Castellaro is in climate zone D, with 1,782 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 275 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Castellaro has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 sports facility.
The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets 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 5.5% of the land in Castellaro, 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
Castellaro 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 Castellaro.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Castellaro: 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 Castellaro 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 10 inhabited census areas in Castellaro. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 53 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 4.4%
- fair 95.6%
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 Liguria, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2026.
- 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 008014. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.