La Maddalena: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Gallura Nord-Est Sardegna, Sardegna. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in La Maddalena
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 Chiusedda 1, La Maddalena.
La Maddalena, the archipelago between Sardinia and Corsica
The municipality of La Maddalena is the archipelago of the same name, in the Strait of Bonifacio between Sardinia and Corsica, and most of it is a national park. The town is on the main island, joined by a bridge to Caprera, where Garibaldi spent his last years and where his house and tomb can be visited. Getting there means taking the ferry from Palau, which runs frequently all year.
Recent history is tied to the Italian Navy and, until 2008, to the American base on Santo Stefano, which provided jobs and kept rentals and sales moving. Today the market relies mainly on tourism. Buyers look at flats in the town, houses with gardens in the island's residential areas and villas near the sea, where the park and landscape rules severely limit new building. Island life also means budgeting for the ferry, shopping and healthcare that is further away.
Istat, the national statistics office, counted 10,582 residents in 2023, down 3.2% since 2011. The population is older than the rest of Gallura: estimated average age 48.8 against 46.7, and over-65s at 26.9% against 23.3%. Households are small, 1.94 people on average, and foreign residents make up 4.6%. Tourism carries weight: 10.68 bars and restaurants per 1,000 residents and 14 supermarkets on record.
Earthquakes are a distant concern here. All 26 municipalities in the province are in seismic zone 4, the lowest, and the expected ground acceleration is about 0.050 g. In granite houses and those exposed to the wind, salt, damp, windows and roofs matter more.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report finds the plot from the address. On the coast, check planning constraints and distance from the sea, and in the hollows where water runs after storms, flood hazard.
Key points
- Archipelago and national park, ferry from Palau, Garibaldi's Caprera.
- Over-65s at 26.9%, against 23.3% in the province.
- 10.68 bars and restaurants per 1,000 residents.
- Seismic zone 4, the lowest.
Overview
La Maddalena is a municipality in the province of Gallura Nord-Est Sardegna, in Sardegna. At the end of 2023 it had 10,582 residents, ranked 4 of 26 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, La Maddalena is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 26 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 3.2%. The estimated average age is 49 years, higher than the province average (47). 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 4.6% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in La Maddalena declared an average taxable income of 22,141 euros, in line with the province (21,361 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
La Maddalena is in climate zone B, with 864 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 1 December to 31 March, for up to 8 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, La Maddalena has 9 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 14 grocery shops and supermarkets, 5 healthcare facilities, 10 sports facilities and 6 parks and green areas.
There are 0.5 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 7.9% of the land in La Maddalena, compared with 3.4% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
La Maddalena 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 La Maddalena: 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 La Maddalena 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 53 inhabited census areas in La Maddalena. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 79 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 4.7%
- good 56.6%
- very good 38.7%
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 Sardegna, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2022.
- 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 113012. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.