Skip to content
Vicinalia
Italiano Sign up

Maissana: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Maissana

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 Torza 1, Maissana.

Maissana, mountain hamlets in the upper Vara valley

Maissana is a municipality in the hinterland of La Spezia, in the upper part of the Val di Vara. It has no single compact centre: the town hall sits just under six hundred metres and around it, among woods and pasture, small hamlets are linked by narrow, winding roads. The sea of the eastern Riviera is close as the crow flies, much less so in driving time.

For a buyer, the first question is the road. Jobs, secondary schools and hospitals are on the coast or in the bigger towns of the valley, and in winter (climate zone E) the journey can be slow. Many homes are old stone buildings on the slopes, some used as summer houses; before buying, look closely at the roof, damp in the walls and the heating system.

There were 589 residents in 2023, 10.6% fewer than in 2011. The average age is 53.6, against 48.6 for the province of La Spezia, and over-65s make up 36.0%, well above the provincial 27.8%. Foreign residents account for 5.9%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

For earthquakes, Maissana is in seismic zone 3, like 25 of the 32 municipalities in the province, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.138 g. That is a medium hazard: with a stone building, ask whether any work has been done on the walls and floors, and what paperwork backs it up.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are available, so the report finds the land parcel from the address. With so many houses on sloping ground, the official landslide hazard maps should be read for the specific spot, not as a verdict on the whole municipality.

Key points

  • Scattered hamlets in the upper Vara valley, inland from La Spezia.
  • Over-65s at 36.0%, against 27.8% in the province.
  • Seismic zone 3, like 25 of 32 municipalities.
  • Homes on slopes: landslide maps to be checked address by address.

Overview

Maissana is a municipality in the province of La Spezia, in Liguria. At the end of 2023 it had 589 residents, ranked 27 of 32 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Maissana 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 0.138 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 10.6%. The estimated average age is 54 years, higher than the province average (49). 36% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 29%). Foreign residents make up 5.9% of the population. On average, a household has 1.7 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Maissana declared an average taxable income of 19,877 euros, below the provincial average (25,530 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Maissana is in climate zone E, with 2,300 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 575 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Maissana has 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 sports facilities and 1 green area.

The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.9 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 2.7% of the land in Maissana, 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

Maissana 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 Maissana.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Maissana: 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 Maissana 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 Maissana. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 57 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 14.4%
  • fair 85.6%

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 011018. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.