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Lavagna: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Lavagna

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 dei Devoto 1, Lavagna.

Lavagna, on the Tigullio gulf between Chiavari and Sestri

The Italian word lavagna, meaning blackboard, comes from the slate that was quarried inland of the Tigullio gulf and shipped from here. The town lies on the Riviera di Levante, east of Genoa, at the mouth of the river Entella, which separates it from Chiavari, with Sestri Levante a little further east. It has one of the largest marinas in Liguria and a long beach, and the village of Cavi stretches towards Sestri.

The housing market is that of a resort within reach of Genoa, which can be reached by train on the line to La Spezia or by the A12 motorway from the Lavagna junction. Alongside the residents there are many second homes, and in seafront blocks some flats are only lived in during the summer. Behind the town the land climbs quickly into the hills, with scattered houses, terraced olive groves and narrow roads.

Istat, the national statistics office, shows a slight fall of 1.9% since 2011, to 12,342 residents in 2023. The population is also old: the average age is 50.1 and over-65s make up 31.3%, more than in the Genoa metropolitan area (29.1%). Foreign nationals account for 7.3%. With 109 cafés and restaurants on record, the choice is that of a holiday town.

Seismic risk is moderate. Lavagna is in zone 3 of the Civil Protection classification, like 64 municipalities around Genoa, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.106 g. In buildings near the sea, besides the structure, check façades, balconies and the steel in the concrete, which salt air corrodes.

Water is the more concrete danger. The Entella and the streams running down from the hills can overflow in heavy autumn rain, and the low ground near the river mouth is the most exposed. The report checks the official flood and landslide maps at the address, after finding the land parcel on the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps.

Key points

  • Station on the Genoa to La Spezia line and an A12 junction.
  • Over-65s at 31.3%, average age 50.1.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected ground acceleration about 0.106 g.
  • Entella plain near the river mouth: check flood hazard.

Overview

Lavagna is a municipality in the province of Genova, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 12,342 residents, among the most populous in the province (5 of 67).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Lavagna is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (64 of 67) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.106 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 1.9%. The estimated average age is 50 years, in line with the province. 31% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 7.3% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Lavagna declared an average taxable income of 25,445 euros, in line with the province (26,655 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Lavagna is in climate zone D, with 1,552 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 6 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Lavagna has 7 schools and 5 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 11 grocery shops and supermarkets, 9 healthcare facilities, 15 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.

There are 0.9 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.5).

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 19.0% of the land in Lavagna, compared with 8.0% in the province and 7.3% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Lavagna is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Liguria in 2026. 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 Lavagna, and 2 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 Lavagna: 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 Lavagna 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 61 inhabited census areas in Lavagna. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.6%
  • fair 80.9%
  • good 18.6%

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 010028. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.