La Spezia: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of La Spezia, Liguria. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
Search for an address in La Spezia
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 Dante 7, Milan.
La Spezia, at the head of the Gulf of Poets
La Spezia sits at the head of the gulf that bears its name, also known as the Gulf of Poets, at the eastern end of Liguria, close to the border with Tuscany. The modern city grew up around the Italian Navy's arsenal and the commercial port. Portovenere and the Cinque Terre are close by, and the pull of the coast shows in the 529 bars and restaurants recorded in the services data.
The population has stood still: 92,696 residents at the end of 2023, virtually the same as in 2011. In a province of just 32 municipalities, La Spezia holds 43.1% of the inhabitants. By Ligurian standards it is a fairly young capital, with an estimated average age of 47.3 against 48.6 for the province, and 26.3% of residents over 65, below the regional 29%. Foreign nationals make up 14.1%, and households average about 2.1 people.
Italy's seismic classification puts the municipality in zone 3, the second-lowest of four classes, together with 25 municipalities in the province, while 7 others are in zone 2. The expected ground acceleration in the built-up area tells a fuller story, though: about 0.122 g, towards the upper end of the usual zone 3 range. When choosing a building, it is worth asking when it was designed and what structural work has been carried out.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes cadastral maps, and the report starts from the address to find the sheet and parcel numbers. Between the coastal flats, the hills that ring the gulf and the streams running down to the sea, landslide and flood hazard cannot be summed up for the whole municipality: the report checks it at the exact point and gives prices as a range for the zone.
Key points
- 92,696 residents, the same as in 2011.
- 43.1% of the province's population lives here.
- Seismic zone 3, but expected acceleration of about 0.122 g.
- Cadastral maps available, plot found from the address.
Overview
La Spezia is the capital of the province of La Spezia, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 92,696 residents, the most populous municipality in the province. 43% of the province's residents live here.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, La Spezia is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (25 of 32) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.122 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.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood risk changes from one street to the next, even within the same municipality: for this reason we do not summarise it as a single figure for the whole of La Spezia.
The report checks the exact address against the ISPRA national maps and tells you in plain words whether the building falls within an at-risk area. The official map is also available on IdroGEO.
House prices
We do not publish price tables by municipality. The report gives the minimum and maximum price per square metre for the address's zone, from the Revenue Agency's OMI valuations, with the reference half-year. It is a range for the zone, not the value of a specific home.
Population
Compared with the 2011 census, the number of residents is nearly unchanged. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 26% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 14.1% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, La Spezia has 69 schools and 31 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 42 grocery shops and supermarkets, 69 healthcare facilities, 91 sports facilities and 20 parks and green areas.
There are 0.5 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.6).
This data is gathered from several providers: services may be missing or closed businesses may still appear. The report counts services within 500 metres and 1 kilometre of the address.
Public transport
We do not yet have open public transport timetables for this municipality: the report says so explicitly, without inventing distances.
Land registry
The Revenue Agency publishes the cadastral maps for La Spezia: the report finds the building's parcel, that is its sheet and parcel number, starting from the address.
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 2026-08-19.0.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 011015. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.