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Grado: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Gorizia, Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Grado

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: Viale Italia 1, Grado.

Grado, the island town in its lagoon

Grado is an island town in the lagoon that bears its name, linked to the mainland by a long road across the water from Aquileia. The old town, with its narrow lanes and the basilica of Sant'Eufemia, feels like a small Venice; around it are the beach, the spa and districts of hotels and holiday flats. The municipality also includes Fossalon, on the mainland, an area of farmland reclaimed from the marshes.

The housing market is largely a holiday market. Many flats are second homes, often owned by people from other regions and from Austria, and stay shut outside the season, while the number of year-round residents keeps falling. Overture Maps records 21.59 bars and restaurants per 1,000 residents, against 5.59 in the province.

The population is elderly and shrinking: 7,596 residents at the end of 2023, according to Istat, the national statistics office, 10.2% fewer than in 2011, with an average age of 52.4 against 48.0 for the province and over-65s at 33.6%. Households are small, 1.80 people on average.

Grado is only a few metres above sea level, and water is the main issue for buyers. During storm surges and exceptional high tides the lagoon and the sea can reach the lowest areas, and ground floors and cellars are the most exposed. The report checks the official flood hazard maps for the address; it is also worth asking whether the flat has suffered water damage in the past.

Property registration has a peculiarity here. As in the rest of the formerly Austrian part of eastern Friuli, Grado uses the land book system (libro fondiario), where the land book entry is the proof of ownership; the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) still publishes the cadastral maps, and the report traces the address to the plot. Earthquake hazard is low: the town is in seismic zone 3 of the Civil Protection Department's classification, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.086 g.

Key points

  • Island town in the lagoon, linked to the mainland from Aquileia.
  • Over-65s 33.6%; population falling since 2011.
  • Land book system plus published cadastral maps; seismic zone 3.
  • A few metres above the sea: check high water and ground floors.

Overview

Grado is a municipality in the province of Gorizia, in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. At the end of 2023 it had 7,596 residents, ranked 4 of 25 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Grado is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (15 of 25) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.086 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 10.2%. The estimated average age is 52 years, higher than the province average (48). 34% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 7.6% of the population. On average, a household has 1.8 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Grado declared an average taxable income of 24,337 euros, in line with the province (24,418 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Grado is in climate zone E, with 2,239 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 2 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Grado has 7 schools and 4 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 9 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 healthcare facility, 12 sports facilities and 7 parks and green areas.

There are 0.1 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.7).

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 3.6% of the land in Grado, compared with 13.0% in the province and 8.1% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Grado is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia in 2024. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.

Official databases list one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in Grado, and 18 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 Grado: 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

Grado uses the tavolare (land book) system, but the Revenue Agency still publishes the maps: the report finds the building's parcel, that is its sheet and parcel number, starting from the address.

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 69 inhabited census areas in Grado. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 67 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 30.2%
  • good 48.0%
  • very good 21.8%

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 031009. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.