Diano Castello: 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 Diano Castello
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 Diano Castello 1, Diano Castello.
Diano Castello, a hill village above the Gulf of Diano
You can see it clearly from the beach at Diano Marina: Diano Castello is the village perched on the hill behind the coast, among the olive groves of the Golfo Dianese, at around a hundred and thirty metres. The old centre has walls, alleys and old churches, while towards the plain and the sea the municipality spreads out with newer residential areas.
Buyers face a two-part market. In the old village there are stone houses on several floors, often with steep stairs and pedestrian-only access, and flats carved out of old buildings. Outside the centre there are small villas, blocks of flats with views and terraced olive groves with rustic buildings, much sought after as holiday homes. The sea is a few minutes away, Imperia is close, and for many residents work is tied to tourism on the coast.
According to Istat, Italy's national statistics office, there were 2,236 residents in 2023, down 0.9% since 2011, so broadly stable. The average age of 47.5 is lower than the 48.7 of the province, and over-65s are 24.5%, against 28.5% provincially. Foreign residents make up 10.1%. Declared incomes are above the provincial average. Winters are mild (climate zone D).
The seismic figure should not be ignored. Diano Castello is in seismic zone 2 on the scale kept by the Protezione Civile (Civil Protection Department), like 29 other municipalities in the province of Imperia, with an expected acceleration of 0.146 g. For stone houses in the old village, get a structural check and ask whether any strengthening has been done.
For land on the terraces and near streams, the report for the address shows the official landslide and flood maps.
Key points
- Hill village above Diano Marina and the Golfo Dianese.
- 2,236 residents, broadly stable since 2011.
- Over-65s at 24.5%, below 28.5% in the province.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.146 g.
Overview
Diano Castello is a municipality in the province of Imperia, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 2,236 residents, ranked 13 of 66 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Diano Castello 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 0.146 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Diano Castello, 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 number of residents is nearly unchanged. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 10.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Diano Castello declared an average taxable income of 22,332 euros, in line with the province (21,487 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Diano Castello is in climate zone D, with 1,501 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 135 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Diano Castello has 2 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 5 grocery shops and supermarkets and 3 sports facilities.
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 18.1% of the land in Diano Castello, 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
Diano Castello 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 contaminated sites in Diano Castello.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Diano Castello: 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 Diano Castello 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 20 inhabited census areas in Diano Castello. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 62 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 58.0%
- good 42.0%
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 008026. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.