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Marta: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Marta

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 Laertina 1, Marta.

Marta, on Lake Bolsena where the river begins

Marta is the fishing village on the southern shore of Lake Bolsena, at the point where the river of the same name flows out of the lake towards the Tyrrhenian Sea. The historic centre climbs from the lakefront to the upper village, with narrow houses and alleys, and fishing on the lake is still part of the village's identity. Viterbo, the provincial capital, is less than half an hour away by car.

The housing market mixes homes of permanent residents, family houses left empty and holiday homes of people who want the lake, many of them from Rome. Houses on the lakefront and in the old village have views and character, but should be checked for damp, services and access. For properties closest to the shore and the river, the report checks the official flood maps.

Istat, the national statistics office, counted 3,207 residents in 2023, down 8.9% since 2011. The population is old: average age 49.2 against 47.5 in Viterbo province, with 29.7% over 65. Foreign residents make up 5.4%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.

Lake Bolsena fills an ancient volcanic system, and the area has moderate seismic activity. Marta is in seismic zone 2 along with 39 other municipalities in Viterbo province, with an expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of about 0.141 g. In the tuff and stone houses of the old village, have the walls and floors checked before buying.

Key points

  • South shore of Lake Bolsena, where the river Marta begins.
  • 3,207 residents, down 8.9% since 2011.
  • Average age 49.2, 29.7% over 65.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration 0.141 g.

Overview

Marta is a municipality in the province of Viterbo, in Lazio. At the end of 2023 it had 3,207 residents, ranked 27 of 60 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Marta is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. The region uses a finer breakdown: here the classification is 2B. Most municipalities in the province (40 of 60) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.141 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Marta, the building matters a great deal: ask for the design year, whether it met the 2008 seismic standards, and whether any seismic retrofit has been carried out.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 8.9%. The estimated average age is 49 years, higher than the province average (48). 30% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 5.4% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Marta declared an average taxable income of 19,540 euros, below the provincial average (22,031 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Marta is in climate zone D, with 1,980 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 315 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Marta has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 4 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1 healthcare facility and 3 sports facilities.

There are 0.3 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer 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 4.3% of the land in Marta, compared with 4.7% in the province and 8.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

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 open contaminated sites in Marta; 2 have been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Marta: 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 Marta 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 18 inhabited census areas in Marta. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 77 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 6.3%
  • good 63.2%
  • very good 30.4%

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 056034. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.