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Ghilarza: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Ghilarza

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: Corso Umberto Primo 1, Ghilarza.

Ghilarza, the Guilcer and Gramsci's house near Lake Omodeo

Ghilarza is the main town of the Guilcer, the plateau in central-western Sardinia that looks over Lake Omodeo, the large reservoir built on the river Tirso. In the town is the house where Antonio Gramsci lived as a boy, now a museum. Oristano is about forty kilometres away, and the SS131 Carlo Felice, the main road linking Cagliari and Sassari, runs close by.

That position near the SS131 makes Ghilarza a handy base for getting around the island. Its services are also used by nearby villages: Overture Maps data record 7 education sites, 1.70 per 1,000 residents against 1.21 in the province. The old centre has stone houses needing renovation, surrounded by detached homes and houses from recent decades.

The population is falling: in 2023 there were 4,121 residents, 10.7% fewer than in 2011. Ghilarza holds 2.8% of the population of a very elderly province, with an average age of 48.9 against 49.8. Over-65s make up 27.7% and foreign residents 2.1%. Declared incomes are above the provincial average.

Like the whole of Sardinia, Ghilarza is in seismic zone 4, the lowest in the Civil Protection classification, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.050 g. Winters are mild (climate zone C) and summers hot, so in stone houses damp in the walls and roof insulation matter more.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are published, and the report starts from the address to find the land parcel and check landslide and flood hazard, which on the plateau and towards the lake depend on the exact spot.

Key points

  • Main town of the Guilcer, above Lake Omodeo.
  • Antonio Gramsci's house museum; SS131 close by.
  • 4,121 residents, down 10.7% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 4, like all of Sardinia.

Overview

Ghilarza is a municipality in the province of Oristano, in Sardegna. At the end of 2023 it had 4,121 residents, among the most populous in the province (7 of 87).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Ghilarza is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 87 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 10.7%. The estimated average age is 49 years, in line with the province. 28% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 2.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Ghilarza declared an average taxable income of 20,374 euros, in line with the province (19,764 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Ghilarza is in climate zone C, with 1,348 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 November to 31 March, for up to 10 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 290 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Ghilarza has 7 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 6 grocery shops and supermarkets, 3 healthcare facilities and 4 sports facilities.

There are 1.5 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.9).

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 4.5% of the land in Ghilarza, compared with 3.4% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Ghilarza is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Sardegna in 2022. 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 Ghilarza: 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 Ghilarza 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 29 inhabited census areas in Ghilarza. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 80 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 2.9%
  • good 23.6%
  • very good 73.5%

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 115024. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.