Castiglione 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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Search for an address in Castiglione di Garfagnana
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: Localita' Casone di Profecchia 1, Castiglione di Garfagnana.
Castiglione di Garfagnana, the hill village above Castelnuovo
Castiglione di Garfagnana is a village in the Garfagnana, the Serchio valley in the northern part of the province of Lucca, just north of Castelnuovo. It stands on a hillside, with the old core gathered around its fortress, while the territory climbs towards the Apennine ridge through chestnut and beech woods and small hamlets.
Castelnuovo di Garfagnana is the reference for schools, the hospital and shopping, and from there the road leads down to Lucca. Buyers find stone houses in the village and hamlets, often needing renovation, and newer homes along the roads. At this altitude insulation, heating and winter access count; in old houses, so do damp and the condition of the floors. Incomes are below the provincial average.
Istat, the national statistics office, records 1,705 residents in 2023, down 8.3% on 2011. The average age is 49.4 against 48.1 in the province, and over-65s are 29.5%, above the provincial 26.8%. Foreign residents make up 3.8%.
Castiglione is in seismic zone 2, like 22 municipalities in the province of Lucca, with an expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of 0.204 g. Before buying a masonry house, a technical survey of the walls, roof and floors is useful.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are published. The report finds the plot from the address and checks slope and the official landslide and flood maps, which in hillside villages vary a great deal from one house to the next.
Key points
- Garfagnana village, just north of Castelnuovo.
- Over-65s at 29.5%, above 26.8% in the province.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.204 g.
- Stone houses: get a technical survey before buying.
Overview
Castiglione di Garfagnana is a municipality in the province of Lucca, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 1,705 residents, ranked 24 of 33 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Castiglione 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 0.204 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Castiglione 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 8.3%. The estimated average age is 49 years, in line with the province. 30% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 3.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Castiglione di Garfagnana declared an average taxable income of 21,688 euros, below the provincial average (24,903 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Castiglione di Garfagnana is in climate zone E, with 2,784 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 545 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Castiglione di Garfagnana has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy.
The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.5 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 3.0% of the land in Castiglione 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
Castiglione 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 one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Castiglione di Garfagnana. The report tells you whether one is close to the address.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Castiglione 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 Castiglione 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 27 inhabited census areas in Castiglione di Garfagnana. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 54 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 16.8%
- fair 83.2%
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 046010. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.