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Fiesole: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Fiesole

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 Faentina 1, Fiesole.

Fiesole, the hill overlooking Florence

Fiesole looks down on Florence. The centre sits on a hill north of the city at around three hundred metres, and was an Etruscan and then Roman settlement before Florence existed: the Roman theatre and baths can still be seen in the archaeological area. The municipality is larger and more varied than many expect. Besides the centre, it covers the villas and gardens on the slopes towards Florence, the Mugnone valley with Caldine and Pian di Mugnone, and, towards the Arno, Compiobbi and Girone.

The hill is also home to the European University Institute, which brings researchers and academics from all over Europe and keeps a good-quality rental market going. Prices are among the highest in the Florence area and average income is well above the provincial figure. Homes are historic villas, farmhouses and flats in old buildings, most of them under landscape protection: any work, even on facades or windows, needs authorisation. For everyday shopping many people go down to Florence or to the valley villages.

There are 13,813 residents in 2023, down 1.3% since 2011, with an average age of 48.7 and over-65s at 29.3%, more than the province. Foreign residents make up 10.6%.

Fiesole is in seismic zone 3, like 27 other municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.137 g; the Mugello, just to the north, is in zone 2. In villas and stone buildings, ask whether walls and floors have been strengthened, and under which permits.

On the slopes the report checks landslide hazard and gradient for the plot; along the Arno and the Mugnone, flooding.

Key points

  • On the hill north of Florence, with Roman remains.
  • Landscape protection: all work needs authorisation.
  • Over-65s at 29.3%, above the provincial average.
  • Seismic zone 3; acceleration about 0.137 g.

Overview

Fiesole is a municipality in the province of Firenze, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 13,813 residents, ranked 21 of 41 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Fiesole is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (28 of 41) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.137 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 1.3%. 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 10.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Fiesole declared an average taxable income of 30,970 euros, above the provincial average (27,023 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Fiesole is in climate zone E, with 2,216 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 295 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Fiesole has 13 schools and 5 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 1 grocery shop, 1 healthcare facility, 3 sports facilities and 4 parks and green areas.

There are 0.1 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer 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 9.1% of the land in Fiesole, compared with 7.4% in the province and 6.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Fiesole is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Toscana in 2025. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.

Official databases list 3 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Fiesole, and 2 more have been cleaned up or closed. 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 Fiesole: 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 Fiesole 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 68 inhabited census areas in Fiesole. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 54 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 24.6%
  • fair 46.5%
  • good 28.9%

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 048015. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.