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Gairo: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Gairo

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 della Liberta' 1, Gairo.

Gairo, the new village above Gairo Vecchio in Ogliastra

Visitors to Gairo see two villages. Below today's houses stand the remains of Gairo Vecchio, left in the 1950s when the village was rebuilt higher up on the same hillside. This is the mountainous interior of Ogliastra, the province of eastern Sardinia, with limestone heights, woods and pastures; the Ogliastra coast is a drive down towards the sea.

The village has lost many people. There were 1,260 residents in 2023, down 16.8% on the 1,514 of 2011, which is 254 fewer, according to Istat, the national statistics office. The average age, 48.0, is almost the same as the province's (47.9) and over-65s are 28.1%. Households are small, 1.82 people on average, and declared incomes are slightly below the provincial average.

Homes for sale are usually village houses on several levels, built into the slope. Before looking at the price, look at the ground: access, retaining walls, rainwater drainage. The report measures elevation and gradient at the address and checks the official landslide maps, which need reading plot by plot.

For earthquakes the picture is calm: all 23 municipalities in Ogliastra are in seismic zone 4, with an expected acceleration in Gairo of 0.050 g. The climate is mild, zone D, but winter is noticeable in the mountains.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and from the address the report traces the plot, with distances to schools, the pharmacy and bus stops.

Key points

  • Mountain village in Ogliastra, rebuilt above Gairo Vecchio.
  • 1,260 residents, down 16.8% since 2011.
  • All 23 municipalities in Ogliastra in seismic zone 4.
  • Houses on the slope: check gradient and landslides by address.

Overview

Gairo is a municipality in the province of Ogliastra, in Sardegna. At the end of 2023 it had 1,260 residents, ranked 16 of 23 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Gairo is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 23 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.050 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

In zone 4 the risk is low, but for an older building it is still worth asking about the state of the structure.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 16.8%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 28% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 1.7% of the population. On average, a household has 1.8 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Gairo declared an average taxable income of 18,144 euros, below the provincial average (19,512 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Gairo is in climate zone D, with 1,929 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 690 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Gairo has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy.

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets 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 1.8% of the land in Gairo, compared with 3.4% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Gairo is one of the municipalities designated as a radon priority area by the Regione Sardegna in 2022. 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.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Gairo: 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 Gairo 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 13 inhabited census areas in Gairo. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 72 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 34.0%
  • good 66.0%

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

ISTAT code 116006. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.