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Cicagna: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Cicagna

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 Alberogrosso 1, Cicagna.

Cicagna, in the slate valley behind Chiavari

Val Fontanabuona is the slate valley. The dark grey stone has long been used in Liguria for roofs, steps and blackboards, and Cicagna is one of the valley's main villages. It lies on the valley floor beside the Lavagna stream, under a hundred metres up, inland from Chiavari, with wooded slopes and hamlets rising on either side.

For buyers, Cicagna is an alternative to the coast: you live in the valley and drive down to Chiavari and the sea along the road that runs the length of the Fontanabuona. Homes range from flats in blocks along the main road to stone houses in the hamlets, often with terraces of land. On the slopes, ask how the house is reached and what state the dry-stone walls are in.

According to Istat, Italy's national statistics office, there were 2,251 residents in 2023, down 12.3% on 2011. The average age is 48.0, a little below the 49.0 of the Metropolitan City of Genoa, and over-65s are 26.9%. Foreign residents make up 8.0%. Declared incomes are below the metropolitan average.

The municipality is in seismic zone 3 on the scale kept by the Protezione Civile (Civil Protection Department), with an expected acceleration of 0.093 g. In an old stone house, a check of roof and floors is always worthwhile.

The valley is narrow and the stream runs all the way through it. For houses on the valley floor and on the slopes, the report for the address shows the official flood and landslide maps.

Key points

  • Main village of Val Fontanabuona, the slate valley.
  • On the Lavagna stream, inland from Chiavari.
  • 2,251 residents, down 12.3% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration 0.093 g.

Overview

Cicagna is a municipality in the province of Genova, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 2,251 residents, ranked 37 of 67 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Cicagna is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (64 of 67) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.093 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

Even in zone 3, seismic standards apply to new buildings: for an older building, ask about the design year and any structural work.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 12.3%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 8.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Cicagna declared an average taxable income of 21,125 euros, below the provincial average (26,655 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Cicagna is in climate zone D, with 1,856 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 88 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Cicagna has 4 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 3 grocery shops and supermarkets, 3 healthcare facilities and 3 sports facilities.

There are 1.3 pharmacies per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.4).

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 9.8% of the land in Cicagna, compared with 8.0% in the province and 7.3% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Cicagna is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Liguria in 2026. 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 Cicagna; one has been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Cicagna: 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 Cicagna 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 31 inhabited census areas in Cicagna. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 59 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 2.8%
  • fair 70.8%
  • good 26.5%

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 010016. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.