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Marciana: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Marciana

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 Campo all'Aia 1, Marciana.

Marciana, western Elba below Monte Capanne

On the western side of the island of Elba, Marciana runs from the slopes of Monte Capanne, the island's highest peak, down to the sea. The main village is a medieval hill settlement with stone lanes and views over the coast; the municipality also includes Poggio and other hamlets scattered between the mountain and the beaches.

Tourism sets the pace: the 63 places to eat are a lot for a municipality this size, and many homes are second homes or flats let in summer. A cable car runs from the village up towards the summit of Monte Capanne. For anyone thinking of living here all year, connections matter: you reach the island by ferry from Piombino to Portoferraio, and from there it is still a drive along the coast road to the western side. Houses in the stone villages often have pedestrian access; those near the sea cost more. The municipality has 3 pharmacies and 4 school sites.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 2,047 residents in 2023, down 7.3% on 2011. The average age is 51.4 (province: 48.7), 31.6% are over 65 and 6.7% are foreign nationals. Declared incomes are below the average for the province of Livorno.

Earthquake risk is low. Marciana is in seismic zone 4, like 12 other municipalities in the province, with expected ground acceleration of 0.030 g. In stone houses near the sea, salt air is more often the enemy, on render, window frames and metalwork.

Between the steep slopes of Monte Capanne and the streams running down to the beaches, the report locates the parcel on the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) maps and checks the official landslide and flood maps.

Key points

  • Western Elba, from Monte Capanne down to the sea.
  • Many second homes and summer lets.
  • Ferry from Piombino to Portoferraio, then the coast road.
  • Seismic zone 4, expected acceleration 0.030 g.

Overview

Marciana is a municipality in the province of Livorno, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 2,047 residents, ranked 16 of 19 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Marciana is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. Most municipalities in the province (13 of 19) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.030 g, a low value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

In zone 4 the risk is low, but for an older building it is still worth asking about the state of the structure.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 7.3%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (49). 32% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 6.7% of the population. On average, a household has 1.8 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Marciana declared an average taxable income of 21,164 euros, below the provincial average (24,772 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Marciana is in climate zone D, with 1,546 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 375 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Marciana has 4 schools and 3 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 2 grocery shops and supermarkets, 5 sports facilities and 5 parks and green areas.

The data shows no healthcare facilities 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 4.2% of the land in Marciana, compared with 10.2% in the province and 6.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Marciana is one of the municipalities designated as a radon priority area by the Regione Toscana in 2025. According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is medium. 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 Marciana.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Marciana: 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 Marciana 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 30 inhabited census areas in Marciana. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 68.7%
  • good 31.3%

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 049010. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.