Castelnuovo di Garfagnana: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Lucca, Toscana. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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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 Nicola Fabrizi 1, Castelnuovo di Garfagnana.
Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, hub of the upper Serchio valley
Following the Serchio upstream from Lucca, Castelnuovo is the main town of the Garfagnana. It sits where the Turrite Secca joins the Serchio, at around 270 metres, gathered round the Rocca Ariostesca, a fortress named after the poet Ludovico Ariosto, who governed the area here for the Este dukes. On the hill opposite stands the Mont'Alfonso fortress.
For people living up the valley, Castelnuovo is where you come for the hospital, secondary schools, offices and the market. The figures bear this out: 14 health facilities, 2.49 per 1,000 residents against 0.79 in the province, and 8 school sites. The Lucca to Aulla railway has a station in town. Outside the centre, houses are scattered across hamlets on the slopes, with narrow roads and cold winters.
The valley is losing people. In 2023 there were 5,622 residents, down 7.2% since 2011 according to Istat, the national statistics office, and the average age is 48.6. Over-65s make up 28.9%, more than the 26.8% of the province of Lucca, while foreign residents account for 8.5%. Declared incomes are slightly below the provincial average.
The Garfagnana has a history of strong earthquakes. Castelnuovo is in seismic zone 2, like 22 of the 33 municipalities in the province, and the expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.200 g, a medium-high value. In stone houses, check how walls are tied to floors, the roof and any concrete ring beams, and ask what work has been done and with which permits.
Along the Serchio and the Turrite and on the slopes, flood and landslide hazard changes from one spot to another. The report reads it for the address, together with the cadastral maps published by the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate).
Key points
- Main town of the Garfagnana, where the Turrite Secca meets the Serchio.
- Health: 2.49 facilities per 1,000 residents, against 0.79.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.200 g.
- Population down 7.2% since 2011.
Overview
Castelnuovo di Garfagnana is a municipality in the province of Lucca, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 5,622 residents, ranked 13 of 33 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Castelnuovo di Garfagnana is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (22 of 33) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.200 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, 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 49 years, in line with the province. 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 8.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana declared an average taxable income of 24,107 euros, in line with the province (24,903 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Castelnuovo di Garfagnana is in climate zone E, with 2,234 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 270 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Castelnuovo di Garfagnana has 8 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 4 grocery shops and supermarkets, 14 healthcare facilities, 7 sports facilities and 1 green area.
There are 2.5 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.8).
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 9.9% of the land in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, compared with 9.2% in the province and 6.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
Castelnuovo di Garfagnana 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 open contaminated sites in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana; 6 have been cleaned up or closed.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Castelnuovo di Garfagnana: 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 Castelnuovo di Garfagnana 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 47 inhabited census areas in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 0.2%
- fair 86.1%
- good 13.7%
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 046009. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.