Genova: 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
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Search for an address in Genova
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 Borzoli 1, Genova.
Genova, a city built upwards
In Genova (Genoa) only a few kilometres separate the sea from the mountains, so the city has grown lengthways along the coast and upwards on the slopes: hairpin roads, public lifts, funiculars and, in the old town, the narrow alleys locals call caruggi. A former maritime republic, it has one of the Mediterranean's major ports and one of Europe's largest historic centres, where the Palazzi dei Rolli are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
As the capital of Liguria, Genova dominates its surroundings: its 562,422 residents at the end of 2023 make up 68.8% of the entire province. The city has lost 4.1% of its population since 2011. The estimated average age is 48.7; 28.7% of residents are over 65, in line with the region, and households average 1.93 people. Foreign nationals account for 11.3%.
Earthquakes are less of a worry here than in much of Italy. Genova is in seismic zone 3, the second-lowest class, like 64 of the province's 67 municipalities, and expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.069 g. With a historic palazzo, or a block put up quickly during the city's decades of rapid expansion, it is still worth asking about the condition of the structure.
What matters most in Genova is the exact position of the property. Slope, distance from a stream, which way a hillside faces: landslide and flood hazard changes from street to street, and the report checks it at the address using ISPRA's national maps. Prices should be read the same way, as a range for the zone. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps, so the report can identify the plot; the services data include 219 pharmacies and 539 healthcare facilities.
Key points
- 562,422 residents, 68.8% of the whole province.
- Population down 4.1% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.069 g.
- Slopes and streams: landslide and flood hazard read address by address.
Overview
Genova is the capital of the province of Genova, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 562,422 residents, the most populous municipality in the province. 69% of the province's residents live here.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Genova 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 0.069 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 4.1%. The estimated average age is 49 years, in line with the province. 29% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 11.3% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Genova declared an average taxable income of 26,834 euros, in line with the province (26,655 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Genova is in climate zone D, with 1,435 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 19 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Genova has 384 schools and 219 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 197 grocery shops and supermarkets, 539 healthcare facilities, 505 sports facilities and 80 parks and green areas.
There are 0.4 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.5).
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 24.1% of the land in Genova, compared with 8.0% in the province and 7.3% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 4.8 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Genova 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 68 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Genova, and 110 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 Genova: 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 Genova 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 3,615 inhabited census areas in Genova. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 69 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 0.4%
- fair 34.2%
- good 52.4%
- very good 13.0%
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 010025. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.