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Imperia: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Imperia

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 Giuseppe Airenti 1, Imperia.

Imperia, two harbour towns joined into one

Imperia was created in 1923 by joining two towns on the Ligurian Sea, Oneglia and Porto Maurizio, which lie on either side of the Impero stream that gave the new city its name. The two halves are still easy to tell apart. This is the Riviera di Ponente, in Liguria's westernmost province on the border with France, where olive groves climb the hills behind the coast and the olive oil trade long drove Oneglia's economy.

With 42,490 residents at the end of 2023, Imperia is only the second-largest municipality in its own province, holding 20.3% of its population. Numbers are stable compared with 2011 (+0.4%). The estimated average age is 47.8, slightly below the provincial 48.7, and 26.9% of residents are over 65, lower than Liguria's 29%. Foreign nationals account for 16.6%.

The figure that deserves the closest look is seismic. Imperia is in zone 2, the second-highest of Italy's four hazard classes, while across the province zone 2 covers 30 of 66 municipalities. Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.149 g, just under the national threshold that separates zone 3 from zone 2. This coast has suffered destructive earthquakes before, notably in 1887, so buyers should ask when a building went up, how its structure is made and whether it has been strengthened.

Cadastral maps are available, and the report identifies the sheet and parcel (foglio and particella) from the address. Between the seafront, steep hillsides and stream valleys, landslide and flood hazard can change a great deal over short distances: the report checks it at the exact location and shows prices as a range for the zone.

Key points

  • Created in 1923 by merging Oneglia and Porto Maurizio.
  • Second-largest municipality in its province: 42,490 residents.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.149 g.
  • Landslide and flood hazard to be checked address by address.

Overview

Imperia is the capital of the province of Imperia, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 42,490 residents, the second most populous in the province. 20% of the province's residents live here.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Imperia is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Only 30 of 66 municipalities in the province are in zone 2.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.149 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Imperia, the building matters a great deal: ask for the design year, whether it met the 2008 seismic standards, and whether any seismic retrofit has been carried out.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the number of residents is nearly unchanged. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 16.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Imperia declared an average taxable income of 23,848 euros, above the provincial average (21,487 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Imperia is in climate zone C, with 1,201 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 10 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Imperia has 36 schools and 13 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 25 grocery shops and supermarkets, 35 healthcare facilities and 41 sports facilities.

There are 0.6 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer 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 21.5% of the land in Imperia, compared with 6.4% in the province and 7.3% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Imperia 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 6 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Imperia, and 4 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 Imperia: 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 Imperia 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 357 inhabited census areas in Imperia. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 66 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 3.5%
  • fair 41.3%
  • good 51.4%
  • very good 3.8%

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 008031. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.