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Ceriana: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Imperia, Liguria. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Ceriana

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: Corso Italia 1, Ceriana.

Ceriana, the Armea valley village behind Sanremo

Climbing the Armea valley from the coast at Sanremo, after a string of bends among olive groves and greenhouses, you reach Ceriana, a medieval village built in tiers above the stream. Tall, narrow houses, covered passageways and the churches of the centre speak of an old place; all around, the slopes are terraced with olive trees, with woods higher up.

Ceriana appeals to people who work on the coast and want a home a few kilometres from the sea, and to those buying a holiday home. In the old centre homes are often on several floors, with steep stairs, little light and no parking nearby; outside the village there are country houses and old farm buildings among the terraces, which need checks on access, water, utility connections and dry-stone walls. The climate zone is D. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

There were 1,078 residents in 2023, 175 fewer than in 2011, a fall of 14.0%. The average age is 51.2 and 31.6% of residents are over 65, against 28.5% in the province. Foreign nationals make up 18.6%, and households are small, 1.82 people on average.

For earthquakes Ceriana is in seismic zone 2, like 29 other municipalities in the province of Imperia, with an expected ground acceleration of 0.158 g. In the village houses, built one on top of another, a surveyor can tell you whether work is needed and whether it involves the neighbouring buildings.

Terraced slopes and the stream make it worth checking the address against the official landslide and flood maps. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are available and the report traces the plot.

Key points

  • Medieval village in the Armea valley, behind Sanremo.
  • Population down 14.0% since 2011, foreign nationals 18.6%.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.158 g.
  • Tiered village houses: assess stairs, light and parking.

Overview

Ceriana is a municipality in the province of Imperia, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 1,078 residents, ranked 24 of 66 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Ceriana 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 0.158 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Ceriana, 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 14.0%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (49). 32% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 18.6% of the population. On average, a household has 1.8 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Ceriana declared an average taxable income of 16,730 euros, below the provincial average (21,487 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Ceriana is in climate zone D, with 2,016 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 369 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Ceriana has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets and 1 sports facility.

The data shows no healthcare facilities within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.7 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 2.6% of the land in Ceriana, 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

Ceriana 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 Ceriana.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Ceriana: 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 Ceriana 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 7 inhabited census areas in Ceriana. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 99.7%
  • good 0.3%

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 008016. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.