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Lorsica: 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 Lorsica

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 Barbagelata 1, Lorsica.

Lorsica, silk damask and the slopes of Val Fontanabuona

Lorsica's name goes with silk damask woven on hand looms, a craft the village has kept up for generations. It lies in Val Fontanabuona, the valley inland from Chiavari on the Ligurian coast, where a string of small municipalities sits on wooded slopes. Houses and hamlets are spread over the hillside and the town hall stands at about 340 metres.

For a buyer, the first thing to factor in is distance from services: for work, secondary schools and shopping, people drive down the valley towards the coast. Houses are often stone-built on terraced ground and some are reached only by narrow lanes. Check that you can get there in an ordinary car, look at the retaining walls and see how rainwater is carried away from the building.

There were 394 residents in 2023 according to Istat, the national statistics office, 125 fewer than in 2011, a change of -24.1%. The population is old: an estimated average age of 55.3 against 49.0 in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, with over-65s at 37.3% against 29.1%. Households average 1.89 people and declared incomes are well below the provincial average.

Lorsica is in seismic zone 3 on the Civil Protection Department's national scale, along with 63 other municipalities in the Genoa area; expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.098 g. With a stone house, ask whether the walls have been strengthened and whether the roof has been redone recently.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, and the report goes from the address to the land parcel. On slopes this steep, landslides are the issue to check: the report reads the official maps at the exact location of the house.

Key points

  • Village of silk damask weaving in Val Fontanabuona.
  • 394 residents in 2023, 125 fewer than in 2011.
  • Estimated average age 55.3, over-65s at 37.3%.
  • Seismic zone 3; landslide hazard checked plot by plot.

Overview

Lorsica is a municipality in the province of Genova, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 394 residents, ranked 58 of 67 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Lorsica 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 0.098 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 24.1%. The estimated average age is 55 years, higher than the province average (49). 37% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 3.6% of the population. On average, a household has 1.9 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Lorsica declared an average taxable income of 18,512 euros, below the provincial average (26,655 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Lorsica is in climate zone E, with 2,292 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 October to 15 April, for up to 14 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 343 metres above sea level.

Services

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.8 per 1,000 residents.

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 3.2% of the land in Lorsica, 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

Lorsica 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 no contaminated sites in Lorsica.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Lorsica: 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 Lorsica 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 20 inhabited census areas in Lorsica. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 55 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 100.0%

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 010030. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.