Lastra a Signa: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Firenze, Toscana. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Lastra a Signa
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 Livornese 1, Lastra a Signa.
Lastra a Signa, walls on the Arno and the Malmantile hills
The centre of Lastra a Signa is still enclosed by its medieval walls, on the south bank of the Arno opposite Signa, about fifteen kilometres west of Florence. Behind the town the land rises into hills, where the hamlets of Malmantile and Ginestra Fiorentina feel more rural, among olive groves and vineyards.
For anyone working in Florence, there is the railway towards Empoli and Pisa, with a station in town, and the Florence to Pisa and Livorno dual carriageway. On the valley floor, near the river and the railway, you find flats and terraced houses; in the hills, old farmhouses, villas and restored country houses, with more space and a longer daily drive.
Istat, the national statistics office, counted 19,712 residents in 2023, up 4.0% on 2011. The population is a little younger than the metropolitan average: the average age is 46.4 and 23.9% are over 65, against 26.1%. Foreign residents make up 12.6%, and declared incomes are below the Florence average.
For healthcare the town relies heavily on Florence and neighbouring centres: there are 7 healthcare sites, 0.36 per 1,000 residents against 0.76 in the province.
Lastra a Signa is in seismic zone 3, with expected ground acceleration of about 0.126 g; for masonry houses in the old centre, it helps to know whether roofs and floors have been redone. The more pressing issue is the Arno. Low-lying areas near the river and its tributaries have long been exposed to floods, and the report checks the official flood maps for the address; in the hills, slope and landslides matter instead. Using the Revenue Agency's cadastral maps, the report also finds the plot.
Key points
- Walled centre on the south bank of the Arno, hills behind.
- Station on the Empoli and Pisa line, FI-PI-LI dual carriageway.
- 19,712 residents in 2023, up 4.0% since 2011.
- Seismic zone 3; flood hazard near the Arno to check.
Overview
Lastra a Signa is a municipality in the province of Firenze, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 19,712 residents, ranked 10 of 41 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Lastra a Signa is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (28 of 41) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.126 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 grown by 4.0%. The estimated average age is 46 years, in line with the province. 24% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 12.6% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Lastra a Signa declared an average taxable income of 24,679 euros, below the provincial average (27,023 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Lastra a Signa is in climate zone D, with 1,806 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 1 November to 15 April, for up to 12 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 36 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Lastra a Signa has 12 schools and 5 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 10 grocery shops and supermarkets, 7 healthcare facilities, 17 sports facilities and 4 parks and green areas.
There are 0.4 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.8).
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 11.7% of the land in Lastra a Signa, compared with 7.4% in the province and 6.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
Lastra a Signa is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Toscana in 2025. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.
Official databases list 3 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Lastra a Signa, and 5 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 Lastra a Signa: 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 Lastra a Signa 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 77 inhabited census areas in Lastra a Signa. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 7.8%
- fair 82.5%
- good 9.8%
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
- 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 Toscana, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2025.
- Contaminated sites, ISPRA, MOSAICO - Banca dati nazionale dei siti oggetto di procedimento di bonifica. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 12 November 2026.
- 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 048024. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.